


Getting Out Of His Shadow

by AnimeAddict1059



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Gen, Harry Potter Has a Twin, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, No Bashing, Wrong Boy-Who-Lived (Harry Potter), everyone’s good to harry, they just want to keep him alive :’)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-11
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-08 04:34:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 46,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26949796
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeAddict1059/pseuds/AnimeAddict1059
Summary: Harry was sick, that much he knew. According to the Healers he was dying. He’s had a good life, he thinks. He was loved by his doting yet overprotective parents and his famous and equally protective twin brother. Right now, he was only determined to not make the rest of short life be miserable for their sake.He would do anything to make his last days be remarkable but getting picked by a fiery goblet to compete in a barbaric tournament WAS NOT WHAT HE HAD IN MIND!
Relationships: Harry Potter & James Potter, Harry Potter & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Harry Potter & Lily Evans Potter, Harry Potter/Ginny Weasley, Hermione Granger & Harry Potter & Ron Weasley, Hermione Granger/Ron Weasley, James Potter/Lily Evans Potter, Remus Lupin & James Potter, Sirius Black & James Potter, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin, Sirius Black & Remus Lupin & James Potter & Lily Evans Potter
Comments: 48
Kudos: 203





	1. Loneliness Is A Choice (Harry's specifically)

October 31st, 1981.

The day the Dark Lord was defeated.

The fact that he was gone spread like wildfire all throughout the Wizarding World and drew different reactions. Most celebrated while some still hid themselves in fear of his return. And although most would never really care, mystery still shrouded the events that transpired on that fateful Halloween night.

Everyone knew how Voldemort found the Potters and broke into their house in Godric's Hollow. The events between that and his demise were… unknown. All they really cared to know, was that the Potters lived and their son, Lucas, was celebrated as the 'Boy-Who-Lived'. He was the only known person who survived the killing curse in all of history and that was enough to make him famous worldwide.

Voldemort _did_ cast the killing curse and true, he did intend for it to hit Lucas Potter, however, his twin, Harry Potter, had also received a scar. He, like his brother, was also marked.

This puzzled Dumbledore. The prophecy stated that the Dark Lord would mark a child born at the end of July to be his equal. All evidence pointed to Lucas Potter as the one who had been cast on and it was evidenced by the sizeable, lightning-like scar that snaked on his chest. Harry Potter, also had a jagged, lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead, though much smaller than his brother's.

Albus Dumbledore and the Order spent several days checking and crosschecking everything at the scene. From the location of You-Know-Who's remains, it was clear that he had been standing in front of Lucas Potter's crib and so, it had only been logical to assume that it was Lucas Potter who was hit with the curse.

Moreover, the magic that was the reason for the baby's survival had protected him so thoroughly that he did not have a trace of dark magic on him, unlike the rest of the destroyed house and his twin brother who were hit with the brunt of the Dark Lord's dark aura that exploded upon his demise. Therefore, Dumbledore concluded that the cut on Harry's forehead had most likely been caused by a piece of debris or glass that hit him during the explosion.

The true sequence of events that night was that when James rushed outside to check on the triggered wards, he had left his wife and mother-in-law with his twin children vulnerable inside the house. Lily Potter had tried to protect her mother and children from the Dark Lord and recited an ancient enchantment that she had found while trying to find ways to protect her children from the Dark Lord.

Nothing happened after she recited the enchantment and, thinking that it must have failed, tried to stop the Dark Lord from getting to her children upstairs. Voldemort, honoring his loyal follower's wish to spare the muggleborn wife of James Potter, threw her against the wall with enough force to knock her out.

From there, he was met with the woman's muggle mother who died trying to shield her grandchildren from him.

Voldemort saw Lucas Potter first and cast the Killing Curse on him, intending to do the same to the other one after. He did not expect Lucas to suddenly be enveloped by a very powerful protection magic, so powerful that it was able to knock the Killing Curse back at him.

Voldemort had fallen, never noticing the black-haired baby behind him holding his hands out in an effort to protect his brother.

* * *

**7 years later…**

"Hey! Slow down! Lucas! Slow down!"

Lily Potter gasped for breath as she clutched a stitch on her side. She had been chasing her son around for the past half hour and it was apparent that she was exhausted. She wanted him to sit still for a while – at least long enough so he could eat properly. They were having a picnic and unfortunately, the eight-year old boy brought his training wand with him.

Dumbledore had insisted on giving him one so that he could start training magic. He was one of the few who believed that Voldemort was still alive and bidding his time and so, he did all he could to prepare Lucas for his inevitable destiny.

Still, it didn't change the fact that the boy had become somewhat proud and even more excitable. He had learned his first spell just the day before and he was very eager to try it out on anything he might find appropriate. Lily wasn't too keen on the idea of giving an eight-year old responsibility over his powers, training wand or not. She believed that her son was too young to be learning these kinds of things. He should be enjoying his childhood and whatnot. Instead, she and her husband were left constantly worrying over the fact that Lucas might do some accidental magic, only to be amplified and more accurately directed due to the wand.

"Mum! Just one more! One more, please?" Lucas begged. He made his way towards her and started reaching for the training wand his mother confiscated from him sometime earlier. He had opted for running away from her instead after she did it, which resulted to Lily chasing him around.

Lily shook her head and crossed her arms sternly. "Lucas Ryan Potter, did I not tell you to keep this wand hidden and/or safe whenever lessons are not in session?"

"Yeah, I know but I finally did it! I gotta practice more!" Lucas reasoned, jumping up and down in his excitement.

"I think that's enough practice for one day." Lily replied, tucking the training wand in her pocket, and turned on her heel towards the picnic basket laid out under a large tree. Sitting underneath the shadows, with his back against the tree trunk, was Harry Potter, silently reading a book he had gotten from the library.

Lily couldn't help but roll her eyes at her sons. While one was obsessed with causing trouble and just generally giving them headaches, the other was quiet and always had a book wherever he went. Lucas never did as he was told unless his toy or his training wand was confiscated. The same went for Harry but instead of toys, they needed to take away his book.

Lily brought up a hand and gently pressed the book down so she could see Harry's face. Harry's eyes, as usual, followed the book as it went downwards.

"Hey, although I approve that reading is your hobby, Harry… you really need to stop sometime so you could eat." she said, smiling.

"Not hungry." Harry replied simply as his eyes continued to scan the book.

"Well," Lily let out a sigh and ripped the book from her son's grasp. "I say you are and you need to eat."

This time, it was Harry who sighed. "Do I _have_ to? I'm almost done…"

Lily chuckled and ruffled his hair. She opened the picnic basket they had brought and started taking out plates. Lucas chose this time to join them and plopped down on the blanket in an exhausted manner.

"Here, sweetie." Lily said as she handed a plate to the red-haired boy beside her. Lucas gratefully took his plate filled with sandwiches and fruit and instantly dug in. Lily chastised him before turning her attention back to the task at hand.

"Here, Harry. Eat thi- " She said but stopped in midsentence when she saw Harry munching on an apple, book already back on his lap.

Lily huffed indignantly. "Harry, _really_! I told you to eat first!"

Harry shrugged. "I _am_ eating."

Lily reached for the book on his lap. "You do _not_ read while you eat. That's bad manners."

"But you and dad read the Daily Prophet all the time during breakfast!" Harry protested as he tried to take the book back.

Lily froze. "T-That was different! Adults get to read the paper. ONLY the news. It's not as if we bring our books to the table. Now stop fussing and eat."

She inwardly sighed at how smart and witty Harry was. He was significantly smarter than a lot of kids his age and that made her proud yet somehow apprehensive. There were times his brilliance was good and there were times when they were dangerous. He might not know it but she knew how he listened in on Dumbledore or any other tutors Lucas had. She had seen his notes and how he put a lot of effort into researching some of them, even though he might not understand some of it.

Maybe it was just for the sake of competition between Harry and Lucas. The brothers were distant, given Lucas' fame and tutoring schedule and Harry's anti-socialness and his tendency to read and not notice anything else. Heck, there were only a few people who knew who Harry was. Ever since Lucas' rise in fame, Harry was shoved in the background, unimportant and insignificant.

The only time the two actually played together was probably the time they were still toddlers and sharing the same playpen. Now, they acted as though the other was just some stranger who happened to live under the same roof as them. She didn't mean for any of it to happen, but Lucas had become spoiled. He wanted everyone's attention, whether they chose to pay it to him or not. Harry even told her a few times about how Lucas bullied him but seeing as there wasn't any evidence, she let them be. She knew how ugly it got whenever they were forced to punish their red-haired son and both she and James weren't entirely eager to do it again. Harry never mentioned anything after that so Lily just let it go.

And now that Lucas had a training wand and Harry didn't, it was clear that this brought even more tension between the two. Harry never showed it but it was easy to see that he was a bit jealous at not having a wand. A wand, which Lily suspected, he thought would be better off in his hands.

Lily had no qualms about their decision to keep Harry from having a wand. Lucas had been enough to deal with. She half-heartedly sided with Harry's idea. It was true that he was responsible enough and even though she might not believe it herself, he had enough knowledge about magic to perform the basic spells. Both she and James knew this and by giving Harry a wand, they were sure that the brothers would eventually move their competition to duels and goodness knows what amount of damage accidental magic could do.

Nope, they were better off like this: Lucas, learning basic spells, albeit slowly and Harry, burying his face behind a book.

Lily was pulled out of her thoughts when she heard something landing on the ground near her. She looked down and saw an apple core. Looking up, her eyes landed on Harry and sure enough, he was again immersed in whatever story he was reading about. His plate was left untouched beside him.

Lily groaned.

"Harry, please eat something."

Harry only shook his head. "I'm full."

"Full? You only ate an apple and it wasn't even a large one. Harry, eat. Please, you're skinny enough as it is." she told him.

It was true. Whereas Lucas was healthy and properly tanned, Harry was skinny and pale and with his raven hair, it only made him even paler.

Naturally, as a mother, it worried her. He wasn't exactly skin and bones. He was just thinner than his brother. Her attempts at making him eat more didn't exactly help because he kept refusing.

She had meant to take him to a specialist but she never really had time to do it. It was their schedule that always contradicted to everything she planned for her family. Lucas was required on any social gatherings regarding high members of society and Ministry events and that left little time for Harry. By the time the last party wore off in their minds, thoughts about checking up on her son were gone.

Most of the time, he was left in the care of the house elves they owned. Not much was needed to care for Harry, though. The house elves just leave him some food and a few books and he was good for the day.

"Mum? Mum?"

"Huh? Wha-?" Lily said as she snapped out of her train of thought. She noticed Lucas tugging on her sleeve like a small child. "What is it, dear?"

"Dad said something about checking the place for the party tonight. Are we _really_ going to meet the minister of Bulgaria?" he asked excitedly.

"Party? _Oh! That_ party! Yes, yes… uh." She checked her watch and frowned upon seeing the time. It was nearing four o'clock. They needed to go back and get ready.

"I suppose it's time to go." She told Lucas and he nodded and got up. She followed suit and started packing up everything and folding the blanket.

"Come on, Harry. Time to go."

* * *

Harry had been reading the same sentence for the past few minutes. He couldn't help it. He kept being drawn to the conversation between his mother and Lucas. They might think that he wasn't even listening but he had long since perfected this skill.

"… _Are we really going to meet the minister of Bulgaria?"_

'Oh… another party.' Harry thought as he read the sentence again. 'Didn't they just go to one the other day?'

Harry was never one for parties. His parents brought him to one once and they were sure to never make that mistake again. They had lost track of him, considering the amount of people pushing to get to the 'golden family'. The twins were five years old back then and Harry, being small and skinny, easily slipped through the crowd.

He disliked people. He had always found comfort in being alone. He only ever came out of the house if his parents would ask him to. He never had any social skills so he just stayed quiet most of the time.

His parents were taken by surprise at the crowd that had gathered around them the moment they stepped inside that they backed away a few paces and looked around wildly while stammering out responses to their questions. Harry wanted to hide behind his father's legs but he found that they were completely against the wall and Lucas had been shoved in between his parents.

People never seemed to notice him and he kept getting shoved and hit by their knees as they tried to get closer to Lucas. He felt himself beginning to panic so he pushed past the crowd and ran to a secluded corner the moment he broke free.

It was his father who found him crying behind the curtains. He did his best to console him while trying to tell his wife that they were going home over the loud music. She got the message because minutes later, they were inside the ministry car they had used to get to the party in the first place.

Harry had calmed down, somewhat, and was seated beside his brother. Lucas kept telling him how he ruined the night for them in hushed whispers during the entire ride and that just made Harry feel worse.

He didn't want to ruin the night. He was so afraid of being scolded by his parents so he ran upstairs to hide in his room before they could say a word. He was surprised when they came to his room, only calmly telling him to never do what he did ever again and to always tell them if there was something wrong or something he didn't like so they could find a solution.

They didn't seem angry at all but they _did_ tell Harry that if crowds bothered him, then it would be best if they didn't bring him to any parties or any types of social gatherings. It wasn't easy, coming up with that decision, that much was clear… but unless he found a way to overcome his social awkwardness, then it would be better if he were at home, safe, instead of running off and hiding Merlin-knows-where at parties.

When they arrived back home to the manor, they found James waiting for them in the living room. Or, the closest one there was to the front door. It was difficult to assign a main living room when there were four of them strategically placed all over the manor.

"Well, look who's back! Enjoy the picnic?" he asked as he stood up to kiss Lily on the cheek.

"Not really. Lucas kept running around. I'm absolutely exhausted." Lily answered and, as if to show her exhaustion, collapsed on the sofa to rest.

James rolled his eyes at his wife's dramatics and went over to his sons who only just entered the room.

"There you are!" He exclaimed and picked up the both of them in one giant swoop. Lucas laughed while Harry felt as if his soul jumped out of his body. He had been reading and was about to reach the climax of the story, which involved a great grizzly bear swooping down on the main character, when James scooped him up.

"Dad!" Lucas yelled happily as he wrapped his arms around James' head, seeing as Harry had his own arms gripping tightly around his neck.

"Blimey… you two are getting heavy. I almost can't carry you two anymore. Harry, you alright, kiddo?" James said and his smile faltered when he saw Harry's face.

Lily looked up at that, worry suddenly etched on her face. Harry put up a hand to show that he was fine.

"I was… I was just surprised. You gotta warn me next time, Dad." Harry told him and crossed his arms on his chest.

James laughed heartily at that and Lily couldn't help but release a sigh of relief. Lucas, who realized that he hadn't been getting attention, started tugging on James' shirt collar.

"Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad. Dad…"

James turned around to face Lucas. "Yes, son?"

"Is the minister of Bulgaria really going to be there?"

James laughed again and set the boys down. Harry immediately picked up his fallen book and sat down next to his mother to try and find the page he was on.

"Yes, Lucas. He's going to be there and _you're_ going to meet him. In about…" James said and checked his watch. "two hours, so we better get ready. Go on. I'll meet you upstairs to help you."

"Okay!" Lucas replied and mock saluted before running off to his bedroom.

James smiled at him and turned around to sit beside Harry. Lily only shook her head. She knew she should be getting ready but she was really tired from having to entertain her sons all afternoon. She wanted to skip tonight's party but she was needed for a small meeting some Potions masters set up and she was invited.

"James, you've really got to stop teaching Lucas about the muggle military. His salute's all wrong and I bet everything else you've told him is wrong." Lily told her husband. "And stop bothering Harry. He's trying to read."

James stopped mid-poke and stared at her. How did she know he had been poking their son?

"You're really scary sometimes. D'you know that?" he said, placing an arm around Harry's shoulder. "She's scary, right Harry?"

Harry knew better than to agree with his father so he kept silent. It wasn't like they were going to notice. He was always silent.

"Okay…" James said as he ruffled his son's hair and Lily smirked. "I think that means we need to get ready. Come on, Lily."

* * *

An hour and a half later, James, Lily, and Lucas were standing by the front door, all dressed up and ready to go. James was giving last minute instructions to Harry and Lily was giving instructions to the house elves.

It was the usual thing. Don't try and go out (Never a problem for Harry), don't try to bother the house elves (Not a problem), never go into the restricted section of the library (Well…).

"Bye, love." Lily said as she kissed Harry's forehead and gave him a quick hug. "Stay out of trouble, alright? We'll be back by nine. Love you."

She placed an arm around Lucas and guided him outside. James stayed behind and gave Harry a quick hug. "Try not to cause too much trouble for the elves, alright?" he said and winked at Harry before going outside to follow his wife.

Harry gave them a small wave as they got inside the car and went inside after that. He made sure to lock the door the way his father told him to. It didn't matter anyway. The house elves would check up on the door later.

Sighing, Harry made his way up to his bedroom and plopped down on the bed. Alone again. He knew he should be used to it by now but he couldn't help it. Three years. Three whole years of being alone. It was his fault, of course, for not being able to stand crowds but he still missed his parents all the same.

He only saw them for a few hours each day and he relished each moment. Unlike Lucas who was with them 24/7, Harry always paid extra attention to his mother and father and would never tire of their presence. He understood their dilemma, of course, and he would never be so selfish as to ask them to stay with him. Like Lucas, his parents were notable figures in the Wizarding World.

James Potter was a rising star in the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. He was quickly climbing the ranks as an Auror after he rejoined with Sirius Black after coming out of hiding. Their initial motive was to help find Peter Pettigrew but after they apprehended him, they stayed on and became almost as renowned as Alastor Moody.

Lily Potter didn't get a regular nine-to-five job like her husband, though she was offered the Potions Master teaching position at Hogwarts, and even Charms when she declined the Potions offer. She instead, devoted her time to her sons but she was also a regular contributor to the Charms and Potions columns in the Prophet. She also tutored students that Professor Slughorn and Professor Flitwick sent her way in her spare time; although, the Potions tutoring stopped when Slughorn retired and he was replaced with Snape.

They were prominent people who lived busy lives and were invited to any new social gatherings that happened within the Wizarding Community in Britain. Harry, meanwhile, was largely unknown and rarely seen.

Harry sighed again and rolled to his side, staring at the picture he kept on his bedside table. It was a family picture, one taken when he and Lucas were about four years old. That was the final year they got to spend their days in leisure. The following year, their schedules began to become hectic and Harry was the only one left alone.

' _One day_ ,' Harry thought as he slowly drifted off to sleep, ' _they'd be together again. Just like they were before_.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, there it is. I've edited it. I've had this story mapped out but I didn't really think about writing stuff past their fourth year. I've made a few changes that will allow me to explore the possibility of a sequel but won't change a lot of what I've planned for this current fanfic.


	2. A Bit Of Residue

Not for the first time ever, Harry woke up feeling a bit off. His head was swimming and his vision foggier than usual. Of course, he still had to get to his glasses but that didn't matter because the dull pain in his head made it hard for him to stay focused anyway – _with_ glasses or not. He could feel a headache coming on. He left it alone and went to the bathroom to get ready for the day. By the time he was done, his head had begun throbbing.

Harry could vaguely remember the first time something like this happened. Usually, his head would throb painfully for a few minutes and then he'd be fine. Fine but exhausted.

However, this was different. Whatever it was that was wrong with him, it seemed to intensify that morning. It never reached a full five minutes before and the pain only seemed to become worse with every second that passed.

He was torn between waiting it out or going down to ask his parents for some kind of potion. On the one hand, this wasn't new to him. Sure it lasted longer than the previous ones but he was able to wait it out. Asking for help might seem easier but the way his mother treated them every time they got sick or injured kept popping up inside his head. She was unstoppable when it came to her children and he was sure that the moment he told them, he would seal himself to a fate where he would be resting in his bed, wrapped in multiple layers of sweaters and blankets, and being slowly tortured by a horrendous excuse for a healing potion his mother was sure to feed him.

Nevertheless, Harry forced himself to go downstairs and meet everyone for breakfast despite his body's protests. He shouldn't panic. There were many possible explanations to this if he just thought about it. Maybe he just had an oncoming cold. He might have caught it from staying in the cold library for hours without a blanket or warm clothes. After all, it was nearing winter.

Harry eventually reached the dining room where he found his family just getting ready to start breakfast. To his surprise, the three of them were dressed for an outing. Odd. He was never notified.

"Oh! Harry! There you are!" Lily exclaimed as she finished placing a plate of waffles on the table. The house elf she took the plate from, scowled, obviously displeased at her actions, and popped away to somewhere in the manor.

"I was about to send an elf up to wake you," she added while putting food on Lucas' plate.

"W-What's going on?" Harry asked her. Lily didn't reply immediately. She looked a bit distracted. She was moving so quickly, like she needed to get everything done before whatever it was that she was expecting was going to happen. James, thankfully, stopped her from moving around for them to actually start their meal.

Everyone else dug in except for Harry. He was still expecting an answer and he seemed to have lost his appetite. Maybe he _was_ sick after all.

"What's going on?" Harry asked again.

All three of them looked up at him in mild shock. Lily and James even exchanged confused glances.

"Blimey, Harry! Did we forget to tell you?" James asked him.

Harry shook his head. "Tell me what?"

Lily, who had her hand cupped over her mouth, looked at him apologetically. "We meant to tell you, really. It's just that… the party last night was _so_ … There were so many people and we couldn't say no. And… apparently, we said 'yes' to a ceremony in honor of the Prime Minister's second-degree cousin. He was said to be the youngest ever to receive an Order of Merlin, third-class. And we said 'yes' to the invitation last night… I think. We don't really remember much of what happened."

Harry felt his stomach twist uneasily. He didn't know if it had something to do with his current condition or the fact that his parents were leaving him alone so early in the morning. This was a first. They only ever left in the afternoons and evenings. Never in the mornings.

And they never left without notifying him the day before.

"Harry? Are you alright?" Lily suddenly asked, concern evident in her voice. She had stopped fussing over her husband's choice of robes. She noticed that her son wasn't eating anything and he looked a lot paler than he normally was. That sent her on edge.

Harry forced a reassuring smile at her and tried to pull himself upright. He didn't know why but he was feeling lightheaded. His headache had worsened and the pain in his stomach wasn't helping. His eyes widened when he tasted bile coming up to his mouth and he immediately clamped it shut with his hand. _'Oh no…'_

"Harry?" Lily said, standing up and going over to him.

Harry got up from his seat before she could even reach him and ran to the nearest toilet. Lily's panic went up in full force and she immediately followed.

"Harry!" Lily shrieked as she reached him. She was horrified when she found Harry over the toilet bowl, emptying his stomachs of all its contents.

"James! James!" she called as she knelt down to help her son and rub his back soothingly. Harry kept gagging and spitting and Lily had to steel herself. She never liked it when her children got sick.

"Shh… Come on…" She kept rubbing his back and whispered soothing words to him.

Harry pulled his head back and shuddered. He didn't understand how he could possibly feel like he had more to vomit out. He hadn't eaten anything. Before he knew it, he was facing the toilet bowl again.

He felt his mother's hands on his back and heard his father's frantic footsteps outside along with Lucas' wailing.

Something was different in his vomit. It didn't taste like bile. It tasted somewhat metallic. He pulled his head back again and stared horrified at the toilet bowl.

He had vomited blood.

His mother must have noticed too because he heard a sharp intake of breath from her. She stopped rubbing his back and instead, reached for a towel and wiped his mouth. She didn't say anything as she carefully hoisted him up and guided him out towards the living room.

James was with them in a heartbeat. He took one look at his wife's face and he knew this was something serious.

"I-I'll take Lucas." He stuttered as he hurriedly moved out of the way. He paled at the sight of his son weakly clinging onto his mother as he was being guided towards the fireplace.

Travelling in his state probably wouldn't bring any good to Harry but Lily disregarded that thought. She needed to get her son to St. Mungo's and _fas_ t. Her heart pounded inside her chest and her grip on Harry tightened. _Was he going to be alright?_

* * *

Lily fretfully paced around the hallway as she, James, and Lucas waited for a healer to come out and tell them about Harry's condition. The rational side of her told her not to panic. After all, it had only been forty or so minutes since the healers saw to her son. Harry got medical attention immediately after arrival so she was relieved at that, at least.

Still, for it to take this long… She didn't want to think about it but she couldn't deny the possibility that something was horribly wrong with her child.

"Lily, sit down."

Lily's head snapped towards her husband. She stopped pacing but she gave no indication of heeding his words.

James patted the seat next to him and said, "Come on. You've been pacing the entire time we got here. Sit down."

Lucas, who sat on the chair on James' other side, looked at his mother. He looked worried.

' _Maybe it's because of the way I look right now._ ' Lily thought as she made her decision and sat down next to James. Nobody could blame her though. She was a worried mother and that was the type of person no one should cross or question.

"I'm sure it's nothing," James said, hoping to ease her worries. "It's probably just a stomach bug or the flu."

Lily sighed and put her hands up to her face and slid them down with another sigh. She felt James rub circles on her back and she felt grateful for the comfort. James reached out and had her look him in the eyes.

"He's with the healers. They're doing all they can. He'll be fi-"

James didn't get to finish his sentence as a door swung open and a healer stepped out. Lily got up in a flash and ran up to talk to him. James looked at Lucas and squeezed his shoulders.

"Why don't you… uh… stay here for a while, mate? We're going talk to that healer over there. Can you do that for me?"

Lucas wasn't thrilled with the idea of being left alone and he made it known to his father. "No! I'm not staying here!"

James frowned but he didn't have the energy to deal with a tantrum at the moment, so he just sighed heavily and scooped him up and carried him to where Lily was. Lucas had a scowl on his face the entire time. He didn't like the idea that Harry was getting their parents' attention while he was left unattended.

"…and it's very complicated." the Healer said as he looked at a clipboard he was carrying.

James arrived just in time to hear him say that. Lily's face looked troubled.

"Excuse me, what did you say? W-What's complicated?" James asked the healer. He felt Lily's hands gripping his arm and he instinctively placed his hand over them.

The healer's face said it all. Whatever had happened to his son, it was definitely something more serious than a stomach bug.

"Mr. Potter, I… well, your son's condition is very… unusual. And complicated. I've looked at his medical records. He seemed healthy at birth-"

"He was!" Lily interrupted.

"Yes but… I don't know if you've noticed but somewhere around the age of two, his weight has been slowly declining. It's a little change but…"

"And you're saying that that's the reason why he…"

"Partly. Did something happen between age one and age two? I mean, I know about the attack on Godric's Hollow but-"

"The attack… Voldemort? You mean Voldemort's attack had something to do with this?"

The healer cringed at the name. "We don't know if it's possible but… as you well know, being exposed to Dark magic can have some effects. When there were healers looking over him and his brother… did they say anything about..."

James thought back to that night. If he remembered correctly, there was a bit of a commotion over the signature of dark magic that hovered over his children. However, it was…

"It was far more noticeable on Harry…" James mumbled as his eyes widened. "Yes, I… that night, I remember them talking about it. The… The Dark magic, it was particularly stronger on Harry. I… I remember Dumbledore saying that he had been hit with the brunt of Voldemort's magic when he… when the explosion…"

The healer slowly nodded but he looked like he expected James' answer. "This is just a hypothesis, but it's the closest thing we have to an explanation. We found a small trace of dark magic in him. Maybe it's still clinging to him even after all these years."

"Then we cleanse it. We take it out of him." Lily told the healer, her eyes burning.

The healer shook his head. "I'm afraid it's not that simple. The remnants of the magic, it's deep inside him. It's difficult enough to remove a curse mark on the skin but this… something deep inside his body… that's a risk I'm not willing to take."

"And what? You're just going to leave it there?!" Lily yelled at him.

"Until we find a solution, then yes. I'm afraid it'll have to stay."

Lily looked ready to curse the healer for his ineptitude. James was quick to wrap her up in her arms before she could do anything else.

"I'm sorry. I know it's difficult but please hear me out. Having something like that inside a person… it can cause many problems. You've already seen them this morning."

James gasped. "You mean… the vomiting and the…"

The healer nodded. "Yes, that and his weight problem. I don't know if more problems will arise in the future so I'll need you two to steel yourselves. This is something we haven't encountered yet. If what you say is true and he got that magic residue from You-Know-Who's attack… then he's had dark magic for six years inside his body. And we don't know enough to foresee what other complications it might bring in the future. I'm sorry."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, this chapter's been edited too. Just slightly though.


	3. A Turn In The Right Direction

The air around the Potter family was heavy as they gathered around Harry's hospital room. James had requested a private room upon their arrival at the wizard hospital hours ago. Despite being the best and biggest private room that they could offer, it felt a bit small with him, Lily, Lucas, two healers, and the chief healer crammed inside it.

Harry had yet to wake, so the healers' explanations were done in hushed whispers. Lily had glued herself to Harry's side, sweeping hairs away from his face and holding his hand tightly in hers. Lucas sat next to her, not sure how to act, especially after seeing his brother on the bed. James was left with the task of listening to the healers.

"We will discuss further plans on treatment at a later date, Mr. Potter. We will have to consult with other specialists for the time being. For now, you will have to stick with the precautions we have set earlier," said one of the healers. The chief nodded approvingly behind him.

"How soon can he be released? It's just… Harry doesn't like new places. He might want to go home." James said and glanced worriedly at his son's small form that lay unconscious on the hospital bed.

It was the director that answered James' concerns this time. "He may be discharged as soon as he wakes up, Mr. Potter, if that's what you wish. As of now, there is nothing we can do for him."

James took off his glasses and wiped his hand down his face. "Alright," he sighed. "we'll have him discharged when he wakes up."

The healers nodded. "Very well, Mr. Potter. We'll have the discharge papers prepared immediately."

"Thank you."

With that, the three healers left the room. James released a heavy sigh and joined his family around Harry's bed. Lily and Lucas had settled on Harry's right side so he made his way to the left side of the bed. Lucas, seeing that his father was done talking with the healers, hopped down from the stool he was sitting on and latched himself onto James. James smiled at him and picked him up and then placed him on his lap when he sat down.

Lily looked at them briefly but soon turned her attention back to Harry. Her eyes were glassy with tears that she refused to let fall in the presence of other people. She sniffled once and then addressed James with her attention still on Harry. "What did they healers say?"

"They're looking for a way to treat him, Lily. They'll have to discuss it further with experts first. For now, we'll have to take him back home."

Lily exhaled a long shuddering breath. "That's the best they can come up with?"

"I don't like it any more than you do, Lily. It doesn't feel right, doing nothing when our son is suffering." James reached out a hand to stroke Harry's left arm.

Lucas looked between his parents and then at his unconscious brother. His brow knitted in confusion at the sickly pallor of his skin. He reached out to tug the collar of James' robes.

"Dad, what's happened to Harry?"

James and Lily turned to look at the boy, both wearing unreadable expressions on their faces. James ruffled Lucas' red hair gently. "He's very sick, Lucas. We have to be very careful around Harry from now on, alright?"

"But why is he sick? Why don't they just give him potions like mum does when we're sick?" Lucas said, tugging at James' collar again.

James and Lily exchanged a look, both not quite sure what to tell the boy. After a long pause, Lily decided to answer her son's question.

"Lucas, love, they can't give him potions because they won't work on Harry's condition. They… they don't know what to do or how to treat him yet."

Lucas still looked like he had more counter questions but he didn't ask any of them. He just sat there on James' lap, deep in thought. James pulled him closer and hugged him.

"I know you and Harry have your little competitions but please promise me that you won't let him do anything too tiring, Lucas. He isn't allowed a lot of things from now on. We have to be careful so that his condition doesn't get worse. You mustn't egg him on." James said, hoping that his son would understand.

"Yes, dad. He doesn't do much to begin with anyway." Lucas said in reply.

James chuckled. "Even so, we would appreciate your help in looking out for him."

* * *

Lucas had given his father his word that he would look out for Harry but his brother was really testing his patience. At first, Lucas was worried like his parents had been. Who wouldn't, especially after seeing him so pale on that hospital bed? He had been very scared that day. At first, he thought Harry had just caught a stomach bug again. He had been known to have a weak immune system.

It was definitely not a simple stomach bug. He had never seen his parents that panicked and that sad. His dad never said that the healers told them that Harry was going to die but his parents acted like that was what was going to happen. They hovered over Harry like he was helpless but even Lucas could see that Harry was getting annoyed. He didn't even mind that his parents' attention had mostly been on Harry ever since they came home from St. Mungo's. He was _that_ worried.

He even tried to engage Harry in some not so taxing games but he would rather read, something that Lucas didn't like to do if he could help it. His parents' constant reminders to be nice to Harry and to try and keep him company had started to annoy him as much as their constant hovering over Harry annoyed his brother.

That was why, when Harry walked into the unused study of their grandfather, the place Lucas had come to hide from the rest of his family, something inside him snapped.

"What do you want? Want me to help wipe the drool off your chin too?" he sent a glare in Harry's direction.

Harry stumbled back in surprise. As far as he knew, he was the only frequent visitor in his grandfather's old study. He usually found very interesting books here and he enjoyed borrowing some every now and then. He didn't expect his brother, who had an aversion to books so intense he might as well be allergic to them, to be here.

"No, I…" Harry scratched his head. "I didn't know you were here too."

Lucas gave a grunt which Harry interpreted as ' _piss off_ '. Harry smiled despite it. Seeing the smile on his face confused Lucas.

"Don't tell me you've gone crazy as well?" Lucas asked, eyes widening.

Harry burst out laughing at that. "No, but for a while, I thought _you_ had."

Lucas scowled. "What does that mean?"

Harry, still giggling, answered. "You haven't been yourself these past few days. Seeing you walk on eggshells around me was bizarre. I'm not used to seeing you be so nice. Come to think of it, I'm not used to seeing you at all. You and mum and dad."

Lucas' scowl disappeared and confusion wormed its way to his features. "Why? You see us all the time. We live in the same house, idiot."

Harry placed the book he was carrying on top of a nearby table and sat down on the couch. "It doesn't feel like we live in the same house sometimes."

Lucas raised an eyebrow at that, now genuinely confused. "What does that mean?"

Harry looked at him. "You guys aren't at home most of the time. You guys are usually off at some event."

Lucas' face showed his realization so clearly that Harry had to keep himself from snickering. He could see the lights come on inside his head.

"You're right, we _are_ usually at events. I didn't even realize," Lucas said, getting up from the desk and coming over to sit next to Harry. His anger at him, apparently forgotten. "Blimey, Harry how did I not notice?"

Harry laughed. "You, dad, and mum are busy, I get that. These past few days have actually been quite nice. You guys have stayed at home for almost a week. That has got to be some sort of record."

"Staying home is nice and all," said Lucas, turning his body to lean on the backrest of the couch. "but I've reached my limit. What fun is there to do inside? I miss my broom."

It was Harry's turn to be confused. "So…? Go and fly?"

Lucas scoffed. "Oh yeah, sure, why didn't I think of that?"

The look on Harry's face showed that he didn't find the sarcasm amusing. A look, Lucas realized, was eerily similar to their mother's. He coughed awkwardly.

"Mum locked up the brooms. She didn't want you getting any ideas."

Harry's face contorted at that. "Me? Flying? When they're all anxious like that?"

"Right?!" Lucas exclaimed, airing out his frustrations. "We both know you can't fly in your condition but she didn't have to take away my broom too!"

Said broom was an old toy James had from his childhood. It still flew well despite its age and was still in good condition. It only hovered 6 feet off the ground but Lucas enjoyed riding it anyway. Harry did too, but since they only had one broom between them, Lucas mostly hogged it. He didn't mind though, since he had his books. Still, he felt sorry for Lucas who had been patient with his parents these past few days. Gone was the image of the bully who tormented him, at least, Harry thought, for the time being. He deserved to fly and be free for a bit.

"You really want to fly?" Harry asked, although he could already predict his brother's answer. Lucas nearly fell from trying to sit up quickly.

"Yes! So, sooo badly!" Lucas said loudly.

Harry grinned. "Let's go."

Lucas choked. "With you? You're trying to get back at me for all those things I pulled on you, aren't you? I'd just get in trouble if I go out there with you. Forget it!"

Harry rolled his eyes. "I'm not going to fly on a broom, dimwit. I'm staying on the ground with a book."

Lucas narrowed his eyes. He couldn't possibly believe a book a was more tempting than a broomstick. Harry shrugged as if telling him, ' _fine, go back to being bored then_ '. Lucas sorely wanted to fly again but the risk of incurring their mother's wrath was far too terrifying.

"This is too risky, Harry."

"Mum's out meeting with the healers again. Dad and Sirius are at his study downstairs. I told them I was going to read in the library. They won't notice for at least a half hour."

Lucas contemplated what he just said. He rubbed his head in frustration. "Gaaaarrgghhh you're a bad influence, you know that?"

Harry smirked. "I'm only being a good brother."

The two of them made their way to the broom shed, slowly since Lucas knew Harry shouldn't over-exert himself. When they got there, they found that their mother had locked it using a muggle padlock. Lucas' face fell when he saw it.

"I don't know where she put the key," he said, scratching his head.

"Do you have your wand with you?" Harry asked him, inspecting the lock.

"My training wand? Yeah, I always have it on me these days. Dumbledore told me I should." Lucas said as he fished out the wand from his back pocket.

Harry gave him his book to hold as he took the wand from his brother. Lucas gave him a quizzical look, silently asking him what he was about to do. Harry didn't tell him anything. He just kept on examining the padlock over and over. For a minute, Lucas thought he was going to stick the wand inside the keyhole and start twisting. After about a minute of doing so, he stepped back and raised Lucas' training wand.

Lucas' eyes widened. "Harry, stop! You don't know how to—"

" _Alohomora_ "

A bright light shone briefly from within the padlock and it unlocked itself a second later. Lucas' mouth fell open. Harry didn't notice him gaping at him as he searched for Lucas' broom (it was technically his too).

"Harry… what the hell? How did you learn to use a wand? How did you know that spell?" Lucas asked.

Harry emerged from the broom shed carrying the old practice broom and held it out to his brother. Lucas absent-mindedly took it and gave Harry his book back as well.

"I mean, I've only just been practicing how to make feathers float with Dumbledore. You even did that on your first try!"

Harry wordlessly gave him back his wand (which Lucas took without thinking) and waved the book in front of Lucas' face.

"I read, remember?"

Harry walked ahead to the back garden, which was on the opposite side of the part of the manor where James' study was. He sat down on a bench under a tree and started flicking through his book's pages. Lucas was still babbling as he walked after him.

"Lucas, it's not a big deal. I just read a lot so I know stuff, alright? Just… just get on your broom before dad and Sirius start looking for us. Or even worse, before mum arrives."

 _That_ stopped Lucas' rambling and he scrambled to get on the broom. Harry laughed at that. Lucas, hearing him laugh, turned to look at him.

"Thanks, Harry. For this. You're brilliant," he gave him a wide grin and kicked off.

As Harry watch him zoom around gleefully, he whispered. "You too, Lucas."

* * *

Two weeks later, Albus Dumbledore made his regular monthly visit to the Potter household to continue his lessons with Lucas. Instead of being greeted in the usual way, which was Lucas running up to him looking very excited, and one of his parents following behind him, no one was there to meet him in the foyer.

"James? Lily?" he called out.

A house elf appeared with a pop in front of him and said, "Master Dumbledore, sir, the family is upstairs, in Master James' study."

"Thank you," said Dumbledore, giving the elf a small bow.

The house elf squeaked excitedly and started to escort the old wizard up to James Potter's study. Dumbledore dismissed the elf, telling him that he knew the way and started walking away before the elf would start insisting. It wasn't that he didn't like house elves, he just didn't seem the point in escorting him like some sort of esteemed guest. He had already been inside the manor more times than he could care to remember.

He heard the laughter before he saw the family of four inside the study. The sight that greeted him momentarily stunned him.

James and Lucas were wrestling on the floor, laughing and roaring with pretend anger. Harry cheered them on from the couch with his mother. He was curled up in a blanket, looking very sick. Lily held him close, running her hand through his hair, and chuckling at James' and Lucas' actions.

Dumbledore suddenly found himself smiling, his blue eyes twinkling madly behind his half-moon spectacles. It had been so long since he saw all four of the Potters together in one room like this. It made him very happy to see that the fame Lucas was getting, as well as Lily and James', hadn't brought a wedge between them and young Harry.

Lily noticed him first and she gasped. She almost stood up to greet him but then she remembered Harry was curled up beside her. "P-Professor! We're so sorry, we couldn't greet you. We lost track of time—"

Dumbledore chuckled and stopped her. "No need to apologize, my dear. I wouldn't dream of you stopping this precious moment just to greet an old man like me. It warms my heart to see you all like this, truly."

James and Lucas stopped wrestling and composed themselves before greeting Dumbledore with identical apologetic grins.

"I'm going to get my things, Professor," Lucas said and bolted out of the room.

James shook his head in amusement before turning his attention to Dumbledore. He offered the old man a seat and they all settled around the sitting area in his office. Dumbledore looked at Harry and frowned slightly at his state. He had already drifted off to sleep. He looked as miserable as Remus Lupin after the full moon.

"I had heard that he fell ill, not too long ago. Is he ill again?" he asked the boy's parents.

Lily nodded, adjusted Harry so he could sleep peacefully. "Poor thing's been throwing up all night and fighting a very high fever."

"I see," said Dumbledore. "Is this related to him being ill not a few days ago?"

James nodded. "It's… it's his health. It's being affected by residue from Voldemort's magic."

Dumbledore was startled at that. "Tom's magic? After seven years?"

James took a deep breath. "Professor, when you told us that Harry contained heavy traces of dark magic around him when we found them after the attack, you said it was just because of the explosion after the Dark Lord's defeat. You said it would go away given time and isolation and cleansing but…"

"But it hasn't," Dumbledore finished for him, dreading where this was going and what it meant for the young boy's health. "What did the healers say?"

"There's still some of his magic clinging to Harry. Deep inside him. And they don't want to risk exorcising it out of him because it might endanger his life."

Dumbledore looked at Harry. Harry dozed away, unaware that he was being talked about by the adults in the room.

"There's one more thing, Professor." Lily said, turning away from Harry and looking eyes with the Headmaster of Hogwarts. "Harry's scar. It may not be as ordinary as we thought it to be."

Dumbledore's stomach suddenly seemed to be filling up with lead. "Is it magical?"

Lily nodded. "A curse mark, the healers said. But… but it's different from Lucas'. It's… it looks different than the mark that was caused by… by a killing—" her voice shook and a lump caught inside her throat, making her unable to continue.

"The… the healers," James continued for her. "The healers think it may be caused by the magic from the explosion and served as an opening for Voldemort's dark magic to seep in."

Dumbledore sat there, dumbfounded at the new revelations that came to light. When he had examined young Harry that night, there was no reason to believe that the cut on his forehead was anything more than ordinary. After all, he had been found almost crushed with a wooden beam over him and several splinters and broken glass around his crib. It was a miracle that he was even alive and largely unscathed except for the cut on his forehead.

"W-What does it mean, Professor?" Lily asked shakily. "This new discovery means that both Harry and Lucas have been marked by Voldemort that night. Who… who's the child of prophecy?"

Dumbledore pondered over her question, not knowing how to answer it. He thought back to that Halloween night seven years ago and scoured his brain for anything that might help him identify which of the boys was the true child of prophecy. Unfortunately, his knowledge offered no answers for him.

"I don't know…" the old wizard said slowly.

Lily and James looked at each other in panic.

"What do you mean, ' _you don't know_ '?" asked James, his voice rising in his alarm. "You don't mean to train both of them, Dumbledore? That's madness!"

"No!" said Lily, clutching Harry a little tighter in her arms. "Dumbledore, he's ill! He can't even get out of the bed on some days! And you want to train him to fight Voldemort? I won't allow it!"

"Lily, it won't come to that," Dumbledore said, hoping to calm her. "Harry may not be the child of prophecy. When Tom Riddle attacked you at Godric's Hollow, he cast the killing curse on Lucas. This might mean that he made the choice for us. He was defeated when Lucas Potter somehow rebounded the curse back at him. This may be the power that he knows not according to the prophecy. It is still very plausible that Lucas is the chosen one while Harry… Harry was marked without Voldemort's knowledge. Harry may yet have a part to play in the future but as you said, he is in no fit state to fight. For the time being, let us put our trust in Lucas."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> added an extra scene on this one. Further exploring the who's the chosen one dilemma


	4. Lost Cause

"HARRY JAMES POTTER!"

Lily's voice thundered throughout the Potter estate, or at least to Harry it did. He and his friends froze mid-air. They all looked to Harry in fear. Ron and Lucas looked the most frightened and it wasn't even their names that were called. Fred, George, and Ginny looked more surprised than frightened.

Harry gave his friends and his brother quick apologetic looks before diving down towards his mother. Lily had her hands on her hips, foot tapping impatiently. Her scowl was even scarier up close, Harry thought, as he landed in front of her.

"…sorry, mum."

"Sorry? Who was it that said he wasn't feeling well earlier this morning?" Lily said angrily.

Harry scratched his head sheepishly. "I did, but—"

"And who was it that fell off their broom because he suddenly felt lightheaded last week?"

"Me, but mum it was only four feet—"

"And now, Harry, I catch you in the air playing a full-blown game of quidditch?! Harry, when are you going to start taking your illness seriously?! You're fourteen for Merlin's sake!" Lily was almost yelling now. Harry winced at her volume.

"I know, I'm so sorry mum. I'll do better. I won't do it again." Harry said in what he hoped was a calming tone. It would be embarrassing if her anger would lead her to scold his friends too. He hoped he would calm her down before that happened.

From the corner of his eye, he saw his father running towards them. Sirius was right behind him. They must have heard Lily from inside his study. Harry hoped his father would help him out. Lucas too, looked at James pleadingly.

Lily seemed to notice that Harry was looking at the spot behind her so she whipped around, just as James had arrived behind her. She gave a surprised yelp at her husband's sudden appearance but recovered quickly and slapped his shoulder.

"You and your sons are going to be the death of me! I swear it!" Lily yelled in frustration.

James grimaced and tried to soothe her as Harry did earlier. "Now, now, Lily, it's all fine. Harry's not hurt. He and Lucas had asked me for permission before playing. I checked him beforehand—"

"Oh really? You allowed this to happen?" Lily asked him, anger now rounding onto her husband.

Harry winced at his father's slip-up. James slowly backed up but hit Sirius in the process and the both of them stumbled into a heap on the ground.

"L-Lily, calm down!"

"I told you time and time again not to take his condition lightly! Why do you never listen?!"

James raised his arms up to defend himself in case Lily decided to smack him. Sirius sprawled himself over James to protect him. They looked ridiculous like that, Harry thought, but quickly erased that thought from his mind. His mother looked livid but to their surprise, she walked away from them.

James, who had been waiting for the blow that never came, was surprised to see Harry instead of Lily in front of him. Before he could ask, Harry pointed towards his mother who was already halfway to the front door. James quickly scrambled up to chase after her.

Sirius, who got up after James, dusted himself off and stood next to Harry. "You know, even after almost twenty years together, the sight of Prongs chasing after your mum never gets old."

Harry couldn't quite prevent his smile from spreading after his godfather's remark. Sirius caught it and chuckled. He put an arm around him and turned them around to address the other kids who were still floating above them.

"Right… better pack it up for now. It's getting dark anyway."

Harry nodded at them and they all started descending. Lucas had a complicated look on his face as he landed. He shot a glare at Harry before grabbing Ron's arm and walking with him towards the broom shed. Harry shrunk a bit. Everything had been great before their mother caught them.

Although his and Lucas' relationship was better than it had been before they found out about his illness, he would sometimes revert to the spoiled child that he had been. It only happened when he had to adjust to Harry's needs at their parent's behest but it hurt Harry all the same. His temper would get the better of him so Harry knew to let him be for a while. Harry knew he was frustrated with the changes in their life because of him. He didn't expect Lucas to just take all of it lying down, he wasn't that kind of person. Still, he was wise enough to keep it to himself and be angry with Harry for a while. Harry would apologize after he cooled down and they would be on good terms again, at least until the next mishap comes.

Harry could understand why he was angry. Their parents had become too overbearing these past few years. His mishaps at Hogwarts didn't help either. Every time Harry stumbled into danger, his parents' first question was always, ' _Where was Lucas?_ '. Naturally, Lucas had grown to despise being the one held responsible for his brother's well-being while at Hogwarts. " _There are teachers for that!_ " he would say in his defense. Harry agreed with him. Pinning it on Lucas was too absurd.

Their summer breaks meant he was free from that responsibility but every time he and Harry got caught doing something they shouldn't be doing (or more specifically, what Harry was not allowed to be doing), Lucas was the first to be scolded for being irresponsible.

His glare at his brother earlier was to be expected at this point. Even Sirius didn't bother to scold him. Harry would go to him later to apologize for spoiling the fun. In fact, he had to apologize to the Weasleys as well. The quidditch match had been a result of their uncontained excitement at attending the Quidditch World Cup next week and their fun had been cut off so abruptly.

Harry caught Ginny's sympathetic gaze as she passed him. Harry shot her an apologetic look in return. Fred and George gave him sympathetic pats on his shoulder before following their sister.

Sirius placed an arm around Harry and shook him playfully. "Ah, I'm sorry this had to happen on one of your good days, kid."

Harry forced a smile up at his godfather. "Yeah, it was fun while it lasted at least."

Sirius grinned at him. "And that's what counts."

Arm in arm, they both followed the other teenagers to the broom shed to put away their brooms.

* * *

James chased Lily down to their room. She had slammed the door in his face before he could follow her inside. He sighed and knocked.

"Lily? Can I come in?"

He heard something loud slamming on a surface and the bang of a cabinet drawer inside. James knocked again.

"Lily?"

She didn't reply. James turned the knob and stuck his head inside. A quick sweep across the room told him that the loud noises from earlier were from Lily slamming her wand on her vanity table and the cabinet was from when she angrily stuffed her cloak inside it. He could see some of the black fabric of her cloak peeking out from it.

Lily was on the bed, her back turned to him. Her shoulders heaved and shook and it was then that James realized that she was crying. His expression softened and he made his way to the bed, settling himself beside her. He carefully put his hands on her shoulder to comfort her but to his surprise, Lily pulled away and turned to face him instead.

"Why would you do that, James? He could've hurt himself," she said as she smacked his shoulder.

James raised an eyebrow. "Darling, he was never in danger. I checked him twice over when he and Lucas asked for permission. He didn't deserve this kind of outburst. Neither did I, for that matter." James smiled at her at the last part, hoping his joke would catch on.

Lily was not amused. James wiped the smile off of his face and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Lily, darling, your reaction earlier was a bit much, don't you think?"

Lily buried her face in her hands. "I know… gosh, James, I know. I shouldn't have yelled," James nodded in agreement at her words. "but when I think about…"

She didn't finish her sentence. Her hands went up to her hair, running her fingers through it, and then settled them back down to her sides again. She wiped away her tears and pointed to an envelope next to her. James' eyebrows shot up. He hadn't noticed it. He picked it up and turned it over. It bore St. Mungo's seal and the name of the chief healer and researcher of Harry's case. Understanding dawned on James as he looked at the letter and his wife.

"I take it the visit didn't go well?"

Lily sniffed and nodded at him. "Peakes believes we've exhausted all options."

James froze. "Y-You're joking…"

Lily gave him a pointed look. James swallowed thickly. He now understood his wife's overreaction at the children's impromptu quidditch match. Lily, having been told by the healers that there wasn't hope for Harry, was devastated and then she came home to her son on a broom twenty feet above the ground. Of course, she had panicked. The healers had given up and she wasn't about to lose her son because he broke his neck from bloody quidditch instead of the dreaded dark residue of Voldemort's magic.

"I can't lose him James, I just can't." she sobbed.

James instinctively wrapped his arms around her. He was just as devastated with the news as Lily was. The research was their only hope but now that that was stopped, they had nothing to go on.

"They want to schedule a checkup soon. An assessment, they said. They'll diagnose what they can find and give him some preventative cures. That's the best they can do for him now." Lily recited bitterly.

"Did they say how soon we have to schedule it? I wouldn't want to dampen Harry's mood. They're all so excited about the Quidditch World Cup final." James said.

"They didn't say it was urgent. Besides, Harry's last checkup had only been last week when he fell off his broom. Thank goodness it wasn't anything serious. Just a case of dehydration."

"Then, if nothing comes up with Harry these next few days, let's schedule it after the match. He's been having good days recently. Padfoot and Moony think it's got to do with the jolly mood and excitement for next week."

Lily rolled her eyes. "You boys and your quidditch."

"It's the Potter way, I'm afraid." James said, allowing himself to chuckle. Lily smiled briefly at that.

* * *

When his parents joined them for dinner that evening, Harry immediately noticed his mother's red, puffy eyes. His father too, looked like he had been crying but it didn't look as obvious as Lily's. He caught Sirius' eye and he knew that he noticed too.

"-that feint that you pulled off earlier was brilliant, Ginny. You should use that when we get back to Hogwarts. The other teams won't see it coming." Lucas said excitedly.

His anger had passed and he had accepted Harry's apology with a shrug and a ' _don't worry about it_ ' before they filed into the dining room for dinner. Hermione joined them a bit before Lily and James arrived. She had been up at the Potter library, looking for books to borrow, as was her tradition every time she visited. She briefly asked them about the commotion outside, to which Harry coughed awkwardly. Their dinnertime conversation was all about the game they had that afternoon. They had, after all, been playing for nearly three hours before Lily had caught them. To no one's surprise, it was Ron and Lucas who had the most to say about the impromptu game.

Ginny grinned at what Lucas said. "Thanks, but I'm still a reserve."

Fred and George shook their heads at the same time.

"Blimey, the air must've rushed to your head, Gin!" said George.

"You seem to have forgotten that about half of the starters have graduated." Fred said right after.

Ginny's eyes widened for a second in her realization and blushed at the mistake she made. "Right, yeah. I forgot. I hope I get bumped up to starter after tryouts then."

"You'll get in, Ginny. You're brilliant!" Harry said, giving her a smile. Ginny blushed heavily at his praise and averted her eyes.

"T-Thanks, Harry," she said weakly.

Fred and George exchanged knowing looks but decided not to tease their sister, not in front of the others anyway. They all knew about Ginny's long-standing crush on Harry Potter. Harry, oblivious to it, simply turned his attention elsewhere.

"Did you find what you were looking for, Hermione?" he asked, picking at a potato. Lily, seeing the small amount of food on his plate, reached for the nearest platter. Harry quickly shook his head to show his refusal but Lily kept insisting. "N-No thanks, mum. I'm not feeling too hungry."

Lily's face showed immediate concern. Harry quickly explained.

"I ate a sandwich before our game."

Lily visibly relaxed at that and shoveled food on Lucas' plate instead. Lucas didn't refuse it. Unlike Harry, he was famished after the afternoon's activities. Hermione, a little perplexed at what just happened, looked unsure if she should talk.

Harry sensed her struggle and asked her another question. "Did you come across Wickham's theories on transfiguration? It's a fairly old book but it adds more depth to what we learned in Transfiguration so far. It's worth checking out."

Hermione gave him a grateful look. "I haven't seen it yet but it will be on my first priority tomorrow. Thank you, Harry."

Ron looked between the two of them and made a face. "Urgh, nerd stuff."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Even Lily's attention had been caught. Harry internally winced at the hole Ron's buried himself in. He managed a secretive smirk though.

"Honestly, Ronald! We've got OWLs next year. If you want any hope of becoming a decent wizard, you'd do well to follow Harry and I's example." Hermione snapped.

"She's right, Ronald." Lily added. "Good grades lead to better opportunities."

Ron only made a face at Hermione and went back to eating. Hermione childishly stuck her tongue out at him and Lily just sighed.

James chuckled good-heartedly at the exchange. He had known Ron and Hermione since his sons' first year at Hogwarts. As Lucas had recounted, they had shared the same train compartment on their first train ride to Hogwarts. Lucas said he hadn't gotten on with both Ron and Hermione. They made quick friends with Harry though.

Harry told them that Lucas and Ron were far too similar that they clashed immediately after meeting. Hermione, he didn't have to explain. She wasn't everyone's cup of tea. Thankfully though, their relationship got better the more their school year progressed. It may have even been solidified after the stunt Harry, Ron, and Hermione pulled towards the end of the year.

Lily nearly had a heart attack when they got the owl. Lucas had been found under the full body bind spell in the room he shared with Ron and Harry. Neville Longbottom too, had fell victim to it. Spells that Hermione and Harry had confessed to. Lucas and Neville had tried to stop them from going to the third floor and got petrified for it (which James had to admit, was both brave and responsible on their part).

They were lucky that they all survived. Lily had been furious with Harry. She had been angry with Lucas as well but more so with Harry. James also knew that that was how she masked her worry. Immense worry, especially after Dumbledore told them that Voldemort that had been behind it.

Harry at least found friends to counter the trust he had lost from his parents, James mused. He looked at the trio fondly over his drink. They all laughed heartily at a joke the twins had told. He hoped they would stay like this forever. He hoped _Harry_ could stay like this forever.

The heavy, icy hand settled around his heart again. _He hoped to_ _ **Merlin**_ _Harry could stay like this forever._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Well, there you have it! Time skip to the summer before their 4th year. To clarify, yes, Ron, Harry, and Hermione are still golden trio and yes, they did the things in canon. Lucas is mostly there to stop them because he knows he would get scolded for it. He even went down with them to the chamber but he got stuck on the other side of the cave-in with Ron and Lockhart.
> 
> On their third year, both he and Harry are badly affected by the dementors and while Lucas was tutored by Dumbledore, Harry went to Moony for classes. Between the two of them, Harry was the only one who was able to produce a corporeal patronus by the end of the school year. (Lucas has yet to produce silver wisps until now). Peter broke out of Azkaban and was foolish enough to try and get to the twins in Hogwarts. He lured Lucas, Harry, and Hermione to the Whomping Willow by taking Ron hostage after Buckbeak's execution. They followed him to the Shrieking Shack and Peter tells them what happened that Halloween night. Remus, and Sirius, who happened to be there on Auror business, rescues them. Pettigrew escapes them again when Lupin transforms into a werewolf. It all pretty much follows canon at that point except they only rescued Buckbeak and saved an injured Sirius from the dementors.


	5. The Quidditch World Cup

" _AVADA KEDAVRA!"_

Harry rose from his fitful sleep gasping for breath and drenched in sweat. His hand flew to the scar on his forehead. It was still throbbing but only moments before waking, he swore it felt as though someone had pressed a red-hot iron poker on it.

His hands felt around for his glasses on the desk beside his bed, cursing as he did so. He remembered placing his glasses not too far away from the edge of the desk. He shouldn't have this much trouble locating them. The moment his fingers brushed against the cold metal frame of his round glasses, he picked it up and rammed it on his face. He bolted to his bathroom, feeling bile rising up his throat, and kneeled over the toilet bowl, upheaving whatever was in his stomach. He grimaced at the foul taste in his mouth and shakily stood up to rinse it out over the sink.

As he reached for the faucet, Harry caught sight of his pale, sweaty, and very shaken face. His eyes then wandered to the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his forehead. Harry reached out and touched it tenderly. He gasped in pain and drew his fingers back as soon as it made contact with the scar. He groaned and clutched the edges of the sink, letting the pain subside before he raised his eyes to look at his reflection again.

Harry paused for a second, looking at the scar again, making sure that it hadn't split open or anything.

Finding nothing out of the ordinary, he focused instead on rinsing his mouth. Once he spit out the water and watched it swirl down the drain, the contents of his dream came to him.

' _Perhaps… if we do it without the boy'_

' _Without… Lucas Potter?'_

' _My lord!'_

Harry closed his eyes tightly as another wave of pain washed over him. Even trying to remember his dream was enough to trigger the pain on his scar.

He was certain though, that he had seen Peter Pettigrew in his dream. He couldn't have been mistaken. Those watery blue eyes and that voice… it had haunted him ever since. He had been so determined to kill Lucas the night he lured them to the Shrieking Shack. And now, his dream showed him that the cowardly man found old allies.

Harry sincerely hoped it was all a dream. He didn't want another repeat of their third year. One encounter with the man had been enough.

He closed his eyes once more, trying to remember what else he had seen and heard in the dream but it was all quickly fading from his memory. All he was certain of was he had seen Wormtail and –Harry felt himself grow cold at the realization—Voldemort.

He was there.

Feeling queasy once again, he threw up over the sink.

* * *

James woke up before sunrise. Actually, that was an understatement. He woke up at 3:48 AM to be exact. Lily groaned beside him when she felt him move around and get ready. She didn't open her eyes but she did throw a pillow at James' general direction. James chuckled and bent down to kiss her head.

"Sorry, darling. We'll be out of your hair in a minute."

"Is it time already?" she asked groggily as James pulled away.

"I'm afraid so," James replied, slinging a backpack over his shoulders.

Lily turned over and blinked tiredly up at him. "Mmm… have fun at the World Cup. Be safe… all of you."

With a yawn, she buried herself under the blankets again and fell promptly back to sleep. James quietly left their room, whispering apologies for the noise as he went. Lily didn't even stir when he closed the door behind him.

She went to bed late that night. She had gone to a Slug Club reunion party and had come home later than she anticipated. She needed to get up early too, as she had made plans to meet up with her friends for breakfast in muggle London.

She never had any interest in anything Quidditch related and James and the boys thought it would make for a nice break if they left her to herself while they went off to the World Cup. Lily appreciated the gesture from her boys.

' _Speaking of the Quidditch World Cup_ ,' James thought as he checked his watch, ' _we need to leave in forty-five minutes.'_

He could hardly stop himself from skipping down the hall towards his sons' bedrooms. Harry's room was nearest so he knocked on his door first.

"Portkey's activating in forty-five, Harry."

He heard Harry's footsteps echoing inside the room so he hummed in satisfaction. At least one of his sons was awake and getting ready. He was about to go and wake up Lucas when Harry's door swung open. Harry stood there, rubbing sleep off his eyes.

He had already changed and had a bag slung over his shoulder. James was surprised to see him get ready so quickly.

"Blimey how long have you been up?"

"Not long… woke up to Hedwig's hoots." Harry lied. He had been up long before James. He had been thinking about the dream he just had but he had forgotten the details now. It slipped from him like water through his fingers.

"Good man, Harry." James said happily as he patted him on the back. "Why don't you go ahead and wait in the foyer while I go wake your brother."

Harry nodded and fixed his glasses on his face, yawning as he passed James. He vowed to get some more sleep once they got settled in, if he could. They had agreed to sharing a tent with the Weasleys (at Molly and Arthur's insistence) and that did not bode well for his plans to rest.

It took Lucas nearly thirty minutes to get ready so it left them with about fifteen minutes to get outside the bounds of the Potter estate's wards. They needed to get out of the wards for the portkey to work, otherwise they would just bounce back to the estate grounds. They just had to get outside the property and they had to sprint to get there, much to Harry's mortification. 'Just outside the property' meant a distance akin to the length of a Quidditch pitch.

By nothing short of a miracle, they reached the portkey point with three minutes to spare and Harry used it all to catch his breath. James was at his side in an instant, concerned that it might trigger his illness in any way. Harry had to firmly insist to his father that he was fine and the whistle from the portkey (an old and rusty can of beans that James produced from his pocket) activating marked the end of the discussion. Harry's last thought before the portkey whisked them away, however, was how he _really_ needed to get back some sleep.

* * *

As it turned out, he didn't get to have his rest. Ron and Hermione had whisked him away the moment they arrived. The tent had already been set up since they arrived earlier than the Potters and so they dragged Harry to the section of the tent he would be sharing with Ron, Lucas, and James.

James and Lucas only stayed long enough to get their things settled before leaving to talk with their own friends. Lucas planned to find Seamus and Dean but he was ambushed by Fred and George before he could even leave the tent. Harry vaguely heard them talk about making money off of bets tonight. James was off to visit the other Aurors who were unfortunately on duty, Sirius being one of them. James was no doubt on his way to beg the Head Auror to let Sirius off early tonight so he could watch the match with them.

"Eat some breakfast, Harry, alright?" his father called out as he exited the tent. Lucas was already eating with the twins so he didn't need reminding.

Harry called out his goodbyes to him before turning his attention back to Ron and Hermione. Ron looked giddy, as though the merriment around them had been absorbed and concentrated in his body. Hermione, though never one for Quidditch, looked quite happy as well. Something exciting must have happened in the Burrow in the four days they had been apart.

Harry had invited them to stay at the manor until the match but they had to decline. Tickets to the World Cup were checked upon arrival and Mr. Weasley had yet to get his hands on theirs.

"Did something happen?" Harry asked his best friends.

Ron nodded enthusiastically.

"Dad's got prime seats!" he almost squealed in delight. "Got them off connections at work, he says!"

Harry's face split into a wide grin. "Brilliant! We can sit together then!"

Ron nodded enthusiastically. "That's not all, mate! Bill and Charlie are coming to the match too. They managed to get time off work. Took Charlie a while to get approved to travel though. Got himself burned again recently. Mum went mental went she saw it."

Ron snickered at that. Charlie apparently got an earful from Mrs. Weasley. Hermione rolled her eyes and shoved Ron's face away.

"Never mind that! Look!" she held out a battered copy of a book he didn't recognize. "I got this book from Bill. _Introduction to Curse-Breaking_. Fascinating read! I didn't know Bill's job could be so fantastical."

Harry's eyes brightened. "I've been looking for that! Bill mentioned useful spells from there."

Ron groaned. "No, no, no… bloody hell, we're at the Quidditch World Cup finals and you two are more excited about a bloody book."

Harry and Hermione shared a look and then burst out laughing.

"What? It's true!" he stood up and pulled Harry and Hermione's arm. "Come on, you two. As your best friend, I won't let you spend this once in a lifetime opportunity fawning over a book of all things. That's just sad."

Hermione rolled her eyes but conceded. She tucked the book away in her inner pocket and followed Ron. Harry made to follow them but he suddenly felt lightheaded and stumbled into the corner of the bunk bed. Ron and Hermione were on his side immediately.

"I'm fine. I'm fine," he said weakly, trying to pull himself up.

Hermione cast a worried glance at him and then told Ron to put Harry to bed while she fetched Lucas. Ron nodded and started pushing Harry towards the bottom bunk.

"No, Hermione, wait—Ow! Watch it, Ron!—stop, Hermione!" Harry struggled to break free from Ron's insistent pushing.

Hermione paused and turned to face him. "What is it? Does something hurt? Should I tell Lucas to get Mr. Potter?"

" _No!_ There's no need for that!" he swatted Ron away and glared at him. Ron put his hands up in surrender. "I'm just tired."

Hermione didn't look like she believed him but she didn't fight him on it. She just moved closer to him and asked what he needed. Almost four years of friendship taught her that Harry's symptoms could range from mild to severe at unpredictable times. She also knew that he carried some potions to counter the milder ones.

"Are the potions in your bag?" she asked. Ron immediately made to pick up Harry's backpack.

Harry shook his head. "It's in dad's bag. Front pocket. He shrunk the case."

Ron nodded and rummaged around James Potter's bag. He returned with a miniature leather case that rattled and clinked as he moved towards them. Hermione accepted it from Ron and returned it to its original size. She took one look at the colorful row of vials inside the case and turned to Harry.

"Which—"

"Vertigo Curative, the—"

"Pink one, yes, I remember." Hermione said, already removing the cork on the vial. Ron stood beside them, not sure what he should do.

Harry accepted the potion from Hermione and took one gulp. His face contorted at the disgusting taste. He gave the vial back to Hermione and laid back on the bed, closing his eyes.

"I just need a minute," he told them, breathing deeply. "and then we can go explore the campgrounds."

Ron and Hermione exchanged worried looks.

"Maybe we shouldn't, Harry." Hermione said slowly, looking to Ron for help in convincing their stubborn friend. "Why don't you just rest?"

Harry clenched his jaw, cursing his illness yet again. "I was planning to, actually, but I also want to explore with you guys."

Ron shook his head. "Nah, that can wait. Tell you what, you get some rest, and 'Mione and I will wake you up for lunch, and _then_ we can explore the grounds."

Harry chuckled bitterly at Ron's compromise. He felt like a young child being talked down to by his older siblings. His emerald green eyes peeked from under his eyelids and he took in their worried faces, feeling guilty.

"Yeah, alright…" he conceded.

Ron's grin returned. "Sweet dreams, Harry."

Hermione scolded Ron for his slightly teasing tone. Ron only rolled his eyes and clapped Harry's shoulder and went outside with Hermione to give Harry some peace.

Harry knew Ron was just joking but his mind drifted again to the dream that he had. He shuddered as the image of a bright green light invaded his thoughts again.

_No, don't think about it._

With a determined grunt, he turned over and tried to sleep.

* * *

Thankfully, Harry woke up feeling much better after his nap. He even dug in enthusiastically to the modest lunch Mr. Weasley and James prepared for them.

In the time he had been asleep, Fred and George had accumulated plenty of bets, Bill, Charlie, and Percy arrived with packed food from Mrs. Weasley, Lucas had purchased plenty of merch, and James had managed to talk Scrimgeour, the Head Auror, into switching Sirius' post to security at the top box, where they would be watching the match. It came at the cost of filing paperwork for the match afterwards though but James didn't seem to mind.

True to their word, Ron, Hermione, and Harry roamed around the campgrounds after lunch. Harry had been given a large amount of pocket money from James, along with a conspiratorial wink and a ' _don't tell your mother'_.

He put the money to good use, buying Omnioculars for him, his father, and his brother. He also went overboard and bought out the complete figurine sets for the competing teams, as well as any merch that showed his support to both teams.

He wasn't that familiar with the Ireland and Bulgarian teams but he did hear about the Bulgarian Seeker's skill. As a Seeker himself, Harry looked forward to how he would play tonight.

Laden with their purchases, the trio returned to their tent as the sun was about to set. The sight of Charlie and the Weasley twins howling enthusiastically for Ireland was the first thing that greeted them. Percy looked disgusted at their display. Bill and Ginny both grinned widely at their brothers' antics. Mr. Weasley and James Potter were off in the corner, talking about something.

Ron scooted past Percy and sat next to Ginny but Charlie grabbed him before he could even bend his knees. He and the Weasley twins draped a large green and white piece of fabric over Ron and started chanting the Irish team players' names.

Harry and Hermione shook their heads at them and settled into two chairs that they grabbed from the "kitchen" table. Harry caught his father's eye and James said something to Arthur (to which he nodded) and then made his way to Harry.

He bent down and started talking in his ear, "We're just waiting on Lucas now. He's off with his friends."

Harry nodded to show that he had heard. James smiled and then bent down again.

"Are feeling alright? No aches? Dizziness?"

Harry shook his head. "I feel great dad, don't worry."

James' smile widened. "Alright, good man."

"THE LANTERNS ARE LIT! THE LANTERNS ARE LIT!"

James and Harry's heads jerked to the entrance of their tent in surprise. Lucas stood there, out of breath, covered head to toe in merchandise. His face held so much excitement, enough to rival ten children on Christmas morning.

"Right, up children. It's time." Arthur Weasley said loudly, gesturing at his children to get up. He too, looked giddy with excitement.

Harry and James waited for the entire Weasley brood to exit the tent before they did. Lucas waited for them near the tent entrance.

"Alright, Harry?" he asked as Harry walked out with James' arm around him.

Harry grinned at him and gave him a thumbs up, his hands both holding a Bulgarian and Irish flag. Lucas grinned back and showed him his own flags. James guffawed.

"Look at my indecisive sons, sporting merchandise from both teams."

Lucas laughed. "I got these for you and Padfoot. I've also um…" he laughed nervously. "only had enough money for two Omnioculars."

James' eyebrows shot up. "What...? How? I gave you fifty galleons!"

"Hey, the prices here are ridiculous, alright?" Lucas said in his defense.

Harry remembered the Omnioculars he bought and gave two of them to James. "I got these for eight galleons near the Irish camp. I got three."

Lucas looked relieved at that. "Oh good, I thought we would have to leave blind old dad to squint."

James clutched at his chest dramatically. "The _disrespect_!"

With a roar, he grabbed Lucas with his other arm and glued him to his side like he did Harry. Lucas laughed as he tried to push his father away. Harry laughed at their banter and decided to break it up before they got left behind by the Weasleys and Hermione.

"Dad, Ron and the others are already lining up at the edge of the forest. Let's go." Harry told them.

James, squinted at the mass of red hair ahead of them. "Merlin's beard, they're fast. Come on."

With a theatrically massive grunt, he dragged his sons with him to the queue. Both Lucas and Harry laughed as they held on to their father's arms that was tightly secure around their shoulders.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Helloooo sorry about another slight filler chapter. Rest assured, we'll be skipping the match and go straight to the chaos that happens after the game and also the aftermath in the next chapter. The chapter after that should be Hogwarts. Hopefully.


	6. The Dark Mark

It was still the Weasleys' chanting that filled the tent even after the match. Even Bill and Ginny had joined in on the twins' and Charlie's antics. Ron, though not straying too far from his friends, had taken to jumping up and down and whooping. Mr. Weasley looked on wearily at them, not having the energy to stop his wild offspring. Percy, who separated himself from his siblings, sported a scowl like Hermione's. The both of them had their arms crossed as they watched the other occupants of their tent make fools of themselves. Lucas and James were off to the side, though not too far from the center of activity. They were happily discussing the match and its surprising outcome.

Ron suddenly rounded on Harry and placed both of his hands on his shoulders and shook him in his excitement. Harry laughed at his friend's enthusiasm while Hermione, who had been eyeing them from the side, moved away to avoid getting hit. She left their side to go and sit on one of the armchairs near James and Lucas, hoping to get some semblance of peace.

Harry pushed Ron playfully towards his siblings (who were now dancing badly around the tent) and followed Hermione. He didn't want to admit it given the amount of fun he was having, but he was exhausted. He sat down beside his father and continued to grin at the Weasleys' antics. James gave him an absent-minded pat when he felt him sit beside him, his attention still fully on his and Lucas' discussion.

' _Of course they had a lot to talk about,'_ Harry thought as his eyes slid momentarily to his father and brother. They were both Chasers and the skill and talent the Irish Chasers displayed at the match awed them. They were probably already talking strategy and would try out the moves they saw tonight the moment they got home.

A yawn escaped Harry's lips, though it went unnoticed given the noise both inside and outside their tent. He slid further down the couch and felt his eyelids begin to droop. A loud explosion followed by equally loud cheers echoed around their campsite and Harry couldn't help but crack a smile. He pitied his godfather who was on duty tonight. He was probably even assigned at the Irish camp.

That was Harry's last thought before he succumbed to sleep. A second later, he was being shaken awake by his father.

"Harry. Harry!"

Harry looked at him blearily, thoughts still muddled after being woken so abruptly.

"S'matter—" he tried to ask but James cut him off, shoving Harry's wand into his hand and pushing him and Lucas towards the Weasley children and Hermione. Harry barely registered the loud explosions and distant screams that echoed outside the tent.

"Listen to me, I want you all to run to the forest for cover. Stay there, lie low, and wait until we come and get you, understood?" he instructed. Gone was the friendly Mr. Potter that they knew. Standing before them was the seasoned Auror James Potter.

Harry, still confused, looked to his brother for answers but even he looked stumped. As did Hermione, Ron, and the other Weasley children.

"Dad, what's—" Lucas tried to ask but he was interrupted by someone rushing into their tent.

James, Arthur, Bill, and Charlie immediately drew their wands on the new arrival.

"Whoa! Hey! It's me!"

"Morgana's tits, Padfoot, don't jump out like that!" James exclaimed at their "intruder".

Sirius Black put up his hands in apology as he always did whenever he made a small mistake but he quickly switched back to Auror mode.

"You need to leave, now! They're on their way here as we speak—"

"How many?" James cut in, eyes flicking to the children in worry.

"There's no time for that! Bloody move your arses!" Sirius barked, grabbing Fred, who was nearest to him, and shoving him towards the tent's entrance.

A scream pierced through the night, followed by panicked voices and Sirius' face drained of all color. " _Fuck!_ They're here!"

Arthur quickly grabbed Ginny's hand and pushed her to George. "She's yours and Fred's responsibility! Go to the forest!"

George, now white as a sheet, grabbed Ginny and ran outside with Fred. Bill, Charlie, and Percy quickly followed to protect them while they ran. After a few minutes, they went in a different direction than the twins and Ginny. They were probably going to help the Ministry in handling the threat, Harry thought.

James and Arthur rounded on the four teenagers left inside the tent.

"We'll provide cover for you once we get outside but you need to run as fast as you can to the forest, understood?" Mr. Weasley said, brow sweating profusely.

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and Lucas nodded vigorously at his words. Sirius had gone to the entrance, observing the situation outside.

"Do not look back, you hear me? Run. Find Fred, George, and Ginny and stay out of sight." James told them sternly as he led them towards the entrance.

Sirius gave James a nod and the both of them went outside first. Arthur pushed the kids out after them and yelled at them to run. They didn't need telling twice. They all bolted towards the direction of the forest, not stopping to pay any mind to the smoke and the screams that immediately assaulted their senses as they navigated the once merry campground.

Harry could see flashes of green from the corner of his eyes but he didn't let that deter him from running away. He tried to push away the thoughts of the green flash of light from his dream.

He bumped into Lucas' back once they reached the tree line. He was pushing past the other witches and wizards that had also run to the forest for cover. Harry tried not to lose sight of him. Ron was behind him, shielding Hermione from the mad crowd.

Lucas finally found a clear path towards a quiet clearing where a few groups had huddled in fear. They could still hear the chaos from the campgrounds but they didn't want to go too far into the forest either. It was best if they could stick with a few groups for the time being.

"Surprised they didn't grab the Mudblood first," an arrogant voice called out.

Ron and Harry's head immediately whipped around in anger. They immediately recognized the taunting voice.

Malfoy was smirking at them as he leaned on a tree not far from them. He didn't seem at all disturbed about the chaos or the fact that there were bad witches and wizards about.

"Ran here to hide, did you Potter? Did your daddy tell you to hide far away from the scary people?" he mocked; his eyes fixed on Lucas.

Lucas glowered at him. "Yeah? Your parents tell you to watch and learn from them tonight, did they, Malfoy? Bit early for Death Eater lessons, isn't it?"

Malfoy's smirk fell off his face at the mention of those words.

Harry looked at his brother in confusion. _Death Eaters_? What were Death Eaters? Was that something he and Dumbledore discussed in their lessons? Harry made a mental note to ask him about it later.

"What's the matter? Did they forget to have your mask made?" Lucas said. He had turned the tables on Malfoy, it seemed.

Malfoy scoffed. He stood up properly and gave him an eerie stare. "That bravado won't last long, Potter."

"Yeah right," Ron snorted. "you're just mad he got you."

Malfoy glared at him. "Don't butt in, Weasley. If I were you, I'd hide that Mudblood friend of yours."

Ron made to charge at him but Harry and Hermione quickly held him back. Malfoy laughed and walked away from them as if he hadn't just provoked them moments ago.

"Come on, let's move." Lucas said, dragging Harry's arm with him. "If he's here then it would be dangerous, not to mention foolish, to stick around."

Harry agreed. It was only common sense to give as much distance between themselves and any member of the Malfoy family. Ron and Hermione followed them as they walked deeper into the forest, keeping an eye out for Fred, George, and Ginny. They made sure to stick close to the lantern lit path they took to get to the Quidditch stadium earlier in the evening, just in case their fathers had started looking for them. They stayed a bit away from the path itself though, as it was crowded with numerous witches and wizards as well as magical creatures. They didn't want to involve themselves in that chaos.

Lucas found them a quiet spot away from the path, the noise only a dull murmur to them at the wide distance. Harry slumped on a tree root, catching his breath. Hermione glanced around worriedly. She had her wand out and lit up as she looked for a glimpse of the Weasley twins and Ginny. Ron and Lucas stood around acting like lookouts, eyes and ears perked up for any sign of danger.

Harry's eyes suddenly caught movement several feet away from them. He saw the dark figure of a man moving behind the trees but he moved without any sense of urgency. Harry tried to see if he could recognize him but it was too dark. The man took slow deliberate steps and stopped suddenly. He raised his wand up and spoke out in a clear voice.

" _MORSMORDRE!_ "

Ron, Lucas, and Hermione's head whipped around at the voice. A vast, green light erupted from the stranger's wand and rose high above the treetops and into the sky. It slowly took the form of a massive skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth like a tongue.

"What the…" Ron muttered; his eyes fixed on the thing that suddenly appeared in the night sky.

Suddenly, screams erupted from all around them. Harry saw the people around them take one look at the skull in the sky and run away in fear. Lucas looked at the thing, frozen in place. From Harry's side, he heard Hermione urging them to run. Harry didn't listen to her. His eyes went back to the place he had seen the man who cast it had been.

There was no one there.

Before Harry could scan the trees ahead of him for any sign of the man, he felt Lucas tug on his arm urgently.

" _Harry!_ Come on, we need to move," he said, his voice rising in panic. Hermione and Ron were already a few steps ahead of them.

Harry's eyes moved towards the sky again, taking in the sight of the ominous green apparition. His body suddenly seized up. His gaze never wavered but he could no longer see the massive skull and the serpent that twisted around it. His vision was flooded with a bright green light and his thoughts were suddenly filled with loud screams and maniacal laughter.

"Harry? What are you doing? We need to move!"

Harry felt as though he was underwater. He didn't hear his brother's panicked calls towards him, feeling as though he no longer mattered. His finger's tingled with sudden renewed energy. Harry had never felt this good before. He couldn't remember feeling so… energized.

The screams invaded his thoughts again. He heard them beg for mercy but a cold maniacal voice only laughed at their suffering.

' _Not them, please! They've never done anything to you!'_

' _Step aside, you filthy muggle!'_

' _Not my grandchildren!'_

' _AVADA KEDAVRA!'_

It was the green light again. Harry's scar burned intensely. He screamed, clutching his forehead as he fell to his knees. Lucas yelped as he tried to catch him.

"Harry! Snap out of it! We need to go!"

_Kill them._

_Kill them all._

_Kill them in the name of the Dark Lord._

To Harry's horror, his fingers twitched and started to move towards Lucas' neck. He struggled to keep his hand away from his brother, however, the sudden bloodlust disappeared as another wave of pain swept over him. His scar felt like it was on fire.

Lucas' eyes widened in panic at his brother's state. Harry was writhing in his arms, looking as if he was having a seizure. Ron and Hermione noticed that they hadn't followed them and ran back to their side, both looking as lost as Lucas. Loud cracks suddenly erupted from all around them and then they heard a loud chorus of voices scream a spell at them.

" _STUPEFY!_ "

"DUCK!" Lucas yelled, pinning Harry down on the ground. Ron quickly followed, pinning Hermione beneath him as well.

Red sparks exploded above their heads and Hermione screamed in fright. Lucas clenched his jaw, determined to protect Harry. Harry wasn't shaking as violently as earlier but he didn't look any better.

"STOP! _STOP!_ " yelled a familiar voice. "Those are my sons!"

Lucas almost cried in relief as he looked up. James Potter had finally found them. He saw his father fighting to get to them but he was stopped by several men and women in dark robes.

"What do you think you're doing?! _Let me through!_ " James yelled indignantly.

A man Lucas recognized as Mr. Crouch marched towards their direction with his wand out, pointing it at them in anger. Ron immediately put his hands up, face as white as a sheet. Lucas stole a quick glance at Harry and he felt panic and fear well up inside him. Harry's eyes were closed and he was unresponsive.

"Which of you conjured it?!" Mr. Crouch yelled at them. His wand got uncomfortably close to Lucas' face. "Which one of you conjured the Dark Mark?!"

"We didn't do anything!" Ron said loudly with his hands still up in the air.

"Do not lie!" snapped Mr. Crouch.

"We're not lying!" Ron quickly retorted. "Honest!"

The perpetrator was far from Lucas' mind as he tried again and again to shake Harry awake. Harry still remained unconscious.

"Dad! _Dad!_ Something's wrong with Harry!" he screamed over Mr. Crouch's accusations. His sudden yell was enough to silence Mr. Crouch momentarily. All eyes went to Lucas and his brother on the ground.

James pushed against the wizards who had tried to stop him and ran to his sons. His face was pale as he turned Harry over, checking for a pulse.

' _Please, not like this'_

James' heart pounded as he waited to hear Harry's heartbeat. He sagged in immense relief when he heard it. Without wasting any time, he picked Harry up gently. He looked around for Sirius, who, until this moment, had been at his heels the entire time. He finally saw his best friend running towards them as well as several redheads following behind him.

Sirius skidded to a halt in front of James. He looked at James in fear when he saw him carrying his limp godson in his arms. His voice shook when he spoke.

"Prongs… is he…?"

James shook his head. "I need to get him to St. Mungo's immediately. Stay with Lucas and the others."

"But Prongs—"

James shook his head. "As soon as you're cleared to leave, bring Lucas to St. Mungo's."

"Dad, I want to come with you!" Lucas piped up, running to his father's side.

James shook his head. "No, you stay with Sirius. Do _not_ leave his side."

"Dad—"

"St. Mungo's is probably filled with people right now, Lucas. You'll come later with Sirius when it's less hectic, alright?"

Lucas didn't like his father's decision but nodded anyway. Sirius put an arm around Lucas' shoulder and nodded at James.

"Go. I've got him. Just go and make sure Harry's okay."

James nodded and apparated away before Crouch and the others could stop him.

* * *

Lily looked very shaken when she arrived at St. Mungo's. James' Patronus told her that there had been an attack on the campgrounds and that he had taken Harry to St. Mungo's. Her husband failed to mention why he was bringing Harry to the wizarding hospital. For all Lily knew, he had fallen victim to the attackers he mentioned.

She found James standing out in the hallway near the emergency and trauma rooms. That only served to heighten Lily's stress and anxiety. She ran to her husband's side, tears already springing to her eyes.

James saw her coming. Lily was stricken by how shaken he looked.

"James, where's Lucas? He's not with you?" she asked worriedly as she drew near.

James shook his head. "He's with Padfoot and the Weasleys. He's safe."

Lily believed her husband but she knew she wouldn't really feel at peace until she saw him herself. James seemed to read her mind because he added, "Padfoot's bringing him here as soon as he gets cleared to go. They need all Aurors to report in right now. I told them I'll leave as soon as you get here."

His face showed that he clearly didn't want to follow orders at the moment, not when his son's life was in danger. Lily's gaze softened and she hugged him tightly.

"Where's Harry? How is he?" she asked softly. Her hands gripped his arms in an attempt to steady herself.

James gestured to a bed a few feet behind him that was crowded with several healers, many of whom Lily recognized. They were part of the research team that headed Harry's case. Her eyes travelled further down and she saw her son lying pale and unresponsive to all the healers' prodding and poking.

Lily choked back a sob and immediately started moving towards her son. James held her back but Lily fought back against his tight grip.

"Lily, no, let them work."

" _No!_ I need to be with him!"

James hugged her tightly to keep her in place. He tried not to break down like Lily, not yet. He still couldn't dispel the absolute horror and fear that filled him when he saw Harry lying there face down on the forest floor, right under the Dark Mark.

Healer Peakes heard Lily's sobbing and extracted himself from the group that crowded Harry's bed. James saw him coming and told Lily.

"Healer Peakes, you've been examining him for nearly an hour. What's going on?" James asked shakily. He felt Lily tense up beside him. She didn't know they had been at it for that long.

Healer Peakes' face didn't give away anything. "Let's talk about this in my office."

His eyes briefly flashed towards the people that crowded around the emergency room and James and Lily understood. They followed him to his office in silence but their hearts thundered at the suspense.

"Well?" Lily asked impatiently as soon as they got settled inside the healer's office.

Peakes blew out a breath and wiped his brow. His face suddenly showed amazement. Lily and James looked at each other, both confused.

"I'm sorry it's just…" Peakes began. He started twiddling with his thumbs as he gathered his thoughts. "the last time we talked about Harry's condition, I believed we would never reach a breakthrough. His health has been steadily declining these past six years but tonight…"

He paused, running a hand through his hair. "…tonight, he miraculously _improved_. I… I can't—no, I _don't_ believe it!"

Lily's brow furrowed. "What do you mean by that, Healer Peakes? His health improved…?"

James was also baffled. Never in history had anyone been found under the Dark Mark with their health better than it had been. But then James remembered that his children were not ordinary people. They had survived an attack from Voldemort himself at fifteen months old, one of them even survived the killing curse for Merlin's sake.

"We've done several tests and more than enough diagnostic charms. Harry's current condition is marginally better than it had been before. It's… truthfully, it's baffling!"

James frowned. It truly _was_ baffling. Normally he would have jumped happily at this news but he and Lily knew not to take this at face value. There had to be something the healer was not telling them.

"What's your theory?" Lily asked. "W-Why… why do you think this happened to Harry?"

Peakes sucked in a breath as if preparing himself to tell them something disturbing. Knowing his children's history, James thought bitterly, it probably _was_ something disturbing.

"Mr. Potter told me they found him under the Dark Mark."

Lily's eyes widened and her head snapped to James.

" _The Dark Mark_?!" she hissed. "James you didn't tell me anything about the Dark Mark! You were attacked by _Death Eaters_?!"

James winced. "Sorry, I was in a panic to get Harry here. But yes, it was the Dark Mark."

Lily's heart started beating rapidly, suddenly panicking over the fact that Lucas was not with them. James sensed her worries.

"Lucas is safe with Sirius and the other aurors. He'll be here soon. He's fine." James said, rubbing circles on Lily's back. "Please, continue Healer Peakes."

Peakes hesitated for a second, looking at Lily's state, before launching into his explanation again. "Right… again, he was found under the Dark Mark. It's currently our working theory that this may have affected Harry in some way. For one thing, the levels of dark magic around him is unusually high."

James and Lily's worries spiked.

"W-Was he… cursed in some way?" James stammered out.

Peakes shook his head. "No. That's the thing. He doesn't have traces of being hit by any spells or curses. We think…" he took a deep breath before continuing. "we think the residue inside him may have been triggered in some way by the Dark Mark.

"In some cases, dark magic leaves behind a mark on the person that it has afflicted. This is more commonly seen in lycanthropy and vampiric cases. The dark magic from You-Know-Who's attack all those years ago left behind a mark on Harry. Curse marks like the one on Harry's forehead that are… invigorated by more dark magic can have devastating effects. This isn't the case with Harry."

Lily gripped James' hand tightly.

"Normally, dark magic would further inflict damage on the person afflicted with a curse mark but it seems to have an opposite effect on Harry."

James's brow furrowed. "So, what are you saying? You expose Harry to more dark magic in an attempt to cure him? _Merlin…_ "

Healer Peakes' eyes widened. "Oh no, no, _no_ , that would be very dangerous. Dark magic will only feed the residue inside Harry. Although it has positive effects on Harry's health right now, there's no telling when that might backfire on him."

"So what? What are you saying?"

"As of now, we don't know what kind of dark magic has this effect on Harry. Maybe it was because the Dark Mark is You-Know-Who's mark and it revitalized the magic that latched itself on him. If it's dark magic that isn't related to You-Know-Who in any way, it might have very negative effects."

The couple in front of him only looked more confused. Peakes sighed.

"Look, here's what we know. As of now, Harry's… _revitalization_ , for lack of a better term, is a sort of gift. He's healthier and more alert than he's been in years… _but_ we also cannot disregard the fact that the residue from You-Know-Who had fed on the Dark Mark's magic tonight too. Harry may have grown stronger but so has the dark magic inside him."

Lily and James looked very alarmed at that.

"S-So? What does this mean for Harry?" Lily asked.

"Nothing, as long as he isn't exposed to more of You-Know-Who's magic. Well, any sort of dark magic really. For the moment, Harry isn't in any immediate danger. He will be fine when he wakes up, just more… refreshed. He shouldn't keep up hopes of it lasting forever though. We don't know yet when it will wear off.

"The other healers are doing more tests as we speak, Mr. and Mrs. Potter. Depending on the information we get tonight, it may influence the research we're doing on his case. For the time being, let us hope for the best."


	7. Welcome Back

Lucas fiddled with the zipper on his jacket as he waited for his mother and Harry to arrive. On the chair beside him sat Ron, who was lazily tossing around a beaten old quaffle but his eyes did not seem too focused on the task. Hermione sat on the opposite end of Lucas on the couch, biting her nails and pretending not to check her watch every few minutes.

They were all situated in front of the Weasleys' hearth, waiting for the tell-tale signs of someone flooing in. Lily had owled Lucas earlier in the morning to tell them that Harry was clear to go home and that they would be coming to get him from the Burrow at noon.

"Tell me again what the healers said, Lucas?" Hermione asked as she checked her wristwatch once again.

Lucas shrugged, not even turning to address her. "Mum was the one who talked to them, mostly. I only heard bits and pieces."

"Does it matter? What you told us… it sounds too good to be true."

Lucas frowned. "You've said it yourself, what does it matter? Harry's arriving in a bit anyway. He'll tell you all about it."

Hermione fixed a glare at him. "Yes, but to hear that he's… _better_ … that he has all this renewed energy? Are you sure? I mean, you saw him last night. What did he look like?"

Lucas flung his arms up in annoyance at her questions. "Aaarggh! Merlin! _I_ _don't know_! He was asleep! How the hell am I supposed to know?"

The fireplace suddenly erupted with green flames and Harry stumbled forward, covered in soot from head to toe, into the Weasleys' living room. He caught himself before he could crash headfirst into one of Mrs. Weasleys side tables, arms flapping wildly as he did. He stumbled back a few steps and immediately whipped his head around to look for his brother and his friends.

Lucas, Ron, and Hermione could barely believe their eyes. They had heard from Lucas but to actually see Harry's energetic entrance… The three of them looked at each other and then at Harry. The dark-haired boy grinned at them widely.

The healers _definitely_ hadn't lied.

Another burst of green flames erupted from the fireplace and Lily stepped out gracefully from the grate. Her eyes immediately found Lucas and she made her way to him, arms extended. Lucas stood up to meet her hug.

"I've missed you, my darling boy." Lily murmured into his ear as she squeezed him tighter in her arms.

Lucas turned scarlet in his embarrassment. " _Mum_."

Lily laughed lightly as she released him. She saw Ron and Hermione get up to greet her as well and she smiled at them warmly. She then gently pulled Harry towards them. Harry, still grinning, waved enthusiastically at them. Harry's friends and Lucas looked concerned at his weird behavior. Lily noticed their looks and laughed.

"Sorry, I forgot to tell you," she giggled. "The healers gave him a dose of pepperup before we left."

The teenagers in front of her looked relieved when they heard that. They didn't think they could handle adjusting to an overly bright and enthusiastic Harry.

"You can catch up while I help Lucas pack his things and," Lily's craned her head around. "Ronald, where are your parents? I want to give them my thanks."

Ron also craned his head to look for Mrs. Weasley. "Er… I think mum was out in the garden getting rid of Fred and George's prank stuff. Oh, but dad's still stuck at work."

Lily nodded. "Oh yes, right. Even James hasn't been relieved from his post yet. The way I hear it, the Ministry can't spare anyone at all…" her speech trailed off, eyes wandering at the unusually quiet and deserted living room. "Where's everyone else?"

Ron looked around, not understanding her at first, and then his face brightened when he did. " _Oh_ … in their rooms, I think. 'Cept Bill, Charlie and Percy though. Bill and Percy also got called in to work after what happened at the World Cup. Charlie left for Romania just yesterday. Says he's needed there."

Lily nodded, eyes going up the winding staircase that led to the upper levels of the Burrow. "Right, yes… thank you, Ronald."

She beckoned Lucas to come over to her and she had him walk in front of her upstairs. "We'll be packing Lucas' things upstairs. Excuse us."

With that, she followed Lucas upstairs and Ron, Hermione, and Harry's stares followed after her. As their footsteps faded away, Harry turned back to his friends. His grin once again plastered on his face. Ron chuckled nervously at his best friend's change in demeanour.

"Alright, Ron? Hermione?" Harry greeted brightly.

"Y-Yeah… you alright, mate? Like… _really_ alright?" Ron asked nervously.

Harry nodded. "I've _never_ felt better, Ron! I feel like I could de-gnome your entire garden right now, even!"

Hermione chuckled and steered Harry towards one of the armchairs. "That's just the pepperup talking, Harry."

They managed to settle Harry on the chair and they sat nearby, Ron settling on the floor in front of him with his hand still holding the quaffle he was playing with earlier. Both Ron and Hermione looked at him expectantly. Harry looked confused at their stares.

"What?"

Hermione looked at Ron silently communicating with him, and then at Harry. "How have you been? Lucas didn't say much to us."

"Yeah, but you can't really blame him 'Mione. He looked pretty shaken after Harry passed out." Ron piped up. He started tossing the quaffle again. Harry's eyes brightened and he held his hands out, wordlessly asking Ron to pass it to him. Ron obliged and flung it gently. Harry caught it easily and he tossed it up and down for a while before passing it back to Ron. They continued their silent game as they conversed.

"Do you remember anything that night, Harry?" Hermione asked hesitantly.

Harry chucked the quaffle at Ron. "Not much… and anything that I _do_ remember, I told the Aurors. I remember hearing Lucas telling me that we had to run after the mark appeared but nothing after that."

Hermione's eyebrows shot up. "You mean, you didn't hear it?"

"Hear what?" Harry asked her, wondering if he missed a detail. Ron threw the quaffle back at him and he caught it without much effort.

"A man, that night. Lucas, Ron, and I heard someone shout something before the Dark Mark appeared. You didn't hear it?"

Harry looked at the quaffle in his hands thoughtfully. "I remember that part. I already told the Aurors. I saw a man walking around before he cast the spell that produced the mark."

Ron and Hermione looked alarmed at this new fact.

"Man? They didn't find anyone near us, Harry. The Aurors searched thoroughly." Hermione said.

"Yeah, mate. Lucas and I would have seen him if he was really that close to our location." Ron said right after.

Harry shook his head and tossed the quaffle to Ron. "You and Lucas were looking the other way. You couldn't have seen him."

"Blimey, how is it that the only one who wears glasses in our group was the one who saw the perpetrator." Ron said, shaking his head in disbelief. "I almost got my head blown off by Crouch. He kept insisting it was us who cast the spell."

Harry's eyes widened. "Crouch was there?"

Ron nodded. "Oh yeah, along with about twenty Aurors. Blasted several spells at us before they asked questions."

Before Harry could speak, they heard loud muttering come from the kitchen. Harry's head swung around. Mrs. Weasley appeared in the kitchen, angrily tossing her gardening gloves on the stool near the back door. Her hair and clothes had several splotches of color and soot on it, no doubt from the twins' inventions. Harry, still under the effects of the pepperup potion, waved his hand wildly to get her attention.

"Hello, Mrs. Weasley!"

Mrs. Weasley paused and looked up in surprise. Her face split into a wide smile at the sight of Harry grinning and waving at her. She bounded to the living room, arms already out to hug Harry.

"Harry! Dear boy! You had us so worried!" she said as she crushed him in a tight hug.

"Yeah, I'm sorry about that, Mrs. Weasley." Harry told her as he waited for her to release him.

Mrs. Weasley pulled away, eyes shining, and looked him up and down and nodded approvingly. "Glad to see you back on your feet, Harry."

" _Did someone say Harry?_ "

They heard one of the twins say before their faces peeked out from the landing of the stairs. Ginny was on her toes behind them, trying to see over their shoulders.

"Hey!" Harry said, waving again.

"Harry!" the twins yelled, running at him. Ginny walked more slowly behind them but she was equally as happy. Fred and George gave Harry enthusiastic pats while Ginny mouthed ' _hi_ ' to him.

Lily and Lucas joined them moments later. Lucas had his and Harry's backpacks that they took to the World Cup, on his shoulders. Lily gently extracted Harry from the twins and turned to address Mrs. Weasley.

"Molly, thank you so much for letting Lucas stay these past few days. James and I are so grateful."

Mrs. Weasley waved her hands at her. " _Oh hush_ , Lily. You know your boys are always welcome here. I love them like they're my own."

Lily smiled gratefully at her again, squeezing Molly's arm. She then turned to her sons and beckoned them to follow her to the fireplace. "I'm sorry to cut the reunions short, Molly, children, but Lucas and Harry have yet to pack their things for Hogwarts. Term's only two days away. I'm so glad I took your advice, Molly, to shop for their requirements while they're at the Cup, otherwise, we'd be scrambling to get it all done."

"Oh, I know. Last minute shopping is a nightmare. Oh, and don't worry about leaving them in suspense," she wiped her hands on her apron, rolling her eyes at Ron's groan. "It's not like they won't see each other all the time at Hogwarts." Molly laughed, herding her children away so Lily and her sons could floo away.

"Indeed," Lily laughed, grabbing a fistful of floo powder and stepping into the fireplace.

* * *

September 1st, 1994, The Great Hall

Harry grimaced slightly at the Weasley twins' shouting beside him. Lucas simply ignored them and continued to eat away at the pie on his plate, even when Seamus (who was beside him) was shouting just as loud as the twins.

"THAT'S RUBBISH!"

"YOU CAN'T DO THAT!"

Poor Mr. Crouch and Mr. Bagman tried to placate the students in front of them. When nothing seemed to work, Dumbledore stepped up and silenced everyone immediately with the Sonorus Charm's help.

Still grumbling, the students settled down. Fred and George muttered bitterly about the 'unfairness' of it all. Harry chuckled. Truth be told, he had no interest in the TriWizard Tournament. It sounded like something he'd enjoy spectating though. Harry was more devastated to hear that Quidditch was cancelled this year. He was finally feeling much better and had been excited to play. He had also looked forward to seeing Ron and Ginny participate in the tryouts because they had been practicing all summer.

He caught Ginny's eye and she too, seemed to share Harry's thoughts.

"Sorry about Quidditch," he said to her.

"Yeah…" she replied glumly. "It's too bad Ron and I have to wait another year."

"I'll help you guys practice more, if that makes you feel better. Then next year, you'll blow them away with your skill."

Ginny turned scarlet. "T-Thanks, Harry. Isn't playing Chaser hard on you though?"

Harry shook his head. "It's fine. I think I'm a decent enough Chaser. I managed to score a few goals, didn't I?"

Lucas snorted from across him. "You're a shit Chaser, Harry."

Ginny immediately came to Harry's defense. "No, he's perfectly fine as a Chaser."

Harry laughed. "Thanks, Ginny, but Lucas is probably right. He's the star chaser here. You'll probably learn more from him than me."

Lucas nodded. "Of _course_ she'll learn more from me. You may be the genius first-year Seeker," – Harry blushed at the stupid nickname he thought had died down—"but I'm the team's top scorer. I don't know why they didn't let me join with you during our first year."

"Because mum was already going mental." Harry replied easily.

"Oh… right."

"So, Ginny," Harry turned his attention back to the youngest Weasley. "what do you say? Practice whenever we're free? Ron and Lucas definitely won't say no to flying."

"I'm in," Lucas said, shoveling more pie to his plate.

"Me too," said Ron. He was mostly listening to the rules of the TriWizard Tournament but he'd grown bored quickly. He listened to their quidditch talk instead.

Ginny nodded. "Alright, let's practice then."

"Sounds good to me."

Their plans finalized, they all turned their attention back to Dumbledore.

"—I expect everyone to be on their best behavior when we welcome Durmstrang and Beauxbatons this October. You will receive further instructions from your Head of House when the time comes. And with that, our announcements have been concluded."

That signaled the end of the feast. The prefects and first years stood up first, lining up outside the Great Hall so they can be escorted to the dormitories. Some of the older students started getting up after them.

The Potters, Weasleys, and Hermione stayed for a while, waiting for the crowd around the Great Hall's double doors to thin out. They didn't quite fancy shoving their way up to the dorm at the moment.

"They can't stop us from joining." George said, still angry at the age restriction rules.

Hermione gave him a pointed look. "And exactly how are you going to do that?"

"We'll do whatever it takes! Bloody hell, I'd even beg in front of McGonagall if I had to." Fred said but then pulled a face at the last part. "On second thought, no begging McGonagall but you get the point!"

"Really? So, you'll outsmart Dumbledore?" Hermione challenged.

" _Of course!_ " Fred and George replied in unison.

Harry snickered at their confidence. Ron shook his head at his brothers' overconfidence. He nudged Harry and asked, "What about you, mate? Thoughts on the tournament?"

Harry immediately shook his head no. "Merlin no, mum would murder me before it could even start."

Ron laughed. "Forget about that for a moment, and think about it. Eternal glory doesn't sound too bad, does it?"

Harry shook his head again, smiling at his friend's delusions of grandeur. "Better you than me, mate. I've got enough problems as it is."

Ron shrugged. "I guess… the Potter family's got no shortage of glory, eh?"

Harry laughed. "Oh we got _loads,_ no doubt about that. Glory machine's sitting right there." Harry pointed to Lucas, who had only been listening half-heartedly to their banter while Seamus chatted his hear off.

"Oi!" Lucas exclaimed at their teasing but he did burst out laughing soon after.


	8. The TriWizard Champions

' _ALASTOR MOODY_ '

Harry read the name written in large letters on the blackboard in front of the classroom. The man the name belonged to stared at them intensely, as if analyzing them one by one. When his rampant blue eye settled on him, he tried to suppress a shudder.

 _Mad-Eye Moody_ he was called, according to his dad and his godfather's fond stories. Their new professor must know that Harry and Lucas were James' children and was still probably cross at his and Sirius' immature pranks on him while they were still in training. Sirius Black even claimed that he had been the one who came up with Mad-Eye Moody and it had stuck, much to their amusement.

Harry didn't find it so amusing now. Once Moody's eye moved away from him, Harry breathed more easily.

"As I understand it, you've had Remus Lupin as your professor last year," he began, leaning into his staff. "He wrote to me about your class' progress. He tells me you've tackled creatures last year but you are behind. _Very_ much behind."

No one breathed a word. Not even Lucas, who would normally brighten up at the mention of his godfather, Remus Lupin.

Moody picked up a chalk and started writing a single word on the board: _CURSES_. Harry heard Hermione's sharp intake of breath.

"You are very much behind on curses." Moody tapped on the board with much more force than necessary. "I only have one year to teach you and I intend to bring you up to speed on what wizards can do to each other."

Everyone in the classroom who knew about curses shifted uncomfortably in their seats.

"Today's lesson in particular," Moody continued. "is all about the Unforgivables." He seemed to take delight in the gasps and cries of outrage from the students in front of him. "Oh, yes, yes the Ministry firmly believes that I teach you countercurses and leave it at that until you're old enough to be exposed to the illegal darker stuff but _I say different!_ "

He threw the chalk he had been holding harshly onto the blackboard tray. "You need to be prepared and you need to know what you're up against!"

Harry briefly thought of his father and Sirius and how they managed to pull pranks and make fun of the man. Did they truly tire of living? He caught Lucas' eye and he too, looked as horrified as he was about Moody.

"So," their new teacher growled, limping closer to the front row seats. "can anyone tell me how many Unforgivables there are?"

For a moment, no one raised their hands, too stunned at tackling such a heavy subject on their first day. It was only for a moment though, and then a few hands rose hesitantly into the air. Two of them were Ron and Hermione's.

Harry, of course, had read about the Unforgivable Curses and knew about them but that didn't mean that he was comfortable with discussing it. He and Lucas had grown up with the knowledge that they had narrowly missed death and had been exposed to the deadliest of the three curses. While Lucas had been the one who was hit, Harry was the one to take the brunt of the dark magic. You-Know-Who and his damned Unforgivable Curses were, to Harry, the bane of his family's existence.

Moody pointed his finger at Hermione. "Yes?"

"T-Three, sir." Hermione said shakily.

"And they are so named?"

Hermione swallowed thickly. "Because the use of any one of them will—"

"Will earn you a one-way ticket to Azkaban." Moody finished for her. He turned to his class again. "So… which curse shall we see first? Hands up, give us one."

Fewer hands than before rose up and again, Ron and Hermione's were up as well. Moody's rotating eyeball fixed on Ron this time, and he barked, "Weasley!"

Ron jumped in his seat and hurriedly stammered out his answer. "M-My dad told me about one. T-The Imperius Curse."

His voice turned up at the end as if he wasn't sure about his answer. Moody didn't contradict him. In fact, he nodded in understanding.

"Oh, yes, your father would know all about that. Gave the Ministry a bit of grief a few years ago. Perhaps this will show you why." He hobbled over to his desk and pulled out a jar with three live spiders inside it. Ron whimpered in his seat when he saw it. Moody opened the jar and pulled out one of the spiders, laying it out on his palm.

Harry turned away when he cast the curse at the spider. He heard his classmates gasp and then laugh. Harry quickly stole a glance at what embarrassing torture their hardened professor had bestowed on the poor creature. The spider was now tap-dancing on Hermione and Ron' table. They had both wanted to sit in front for different reasons but since Harry was not eager to be so close to Moody, they couldn't share a table. He sat beside Lucas on the table behind them instead.

"Think that's funny do you? Would it still be as funny if I tell her to jump out the window? Drown herself?"

The laughter instantly stopped.

"Lucky for you, the Imperius Curse can be fought. Takes real strength of character though. I'll be teaching you how this term."

Harry's decidedly avoided his blue eye as it swept past the students. It lingered on his brother for a moment longer though, as evidenced by Lucas quickly ducking his gaze away. Harry tuned out Moody and the rest of the class, deciding not to engage in the topic. Lucas was different. He listened with rapt attention. Harry guessed Dumbledore or his tutors didn't expose him to the Unforgivable Curses yet.

They taught him about Voldemort and his Death Eaters but not about the curses they used liberally. Go figure.

"Would anyone like to tell us about the last curse?"

Harry jerked at that. The last curse? They had gone by the second one so quickly apparently. He spotted Neville a few tables away looking very white. He kept staring at the spider Moody must have tortured in front of him. It was still twitching pitifully on his desk.

In front of Harry, Hermione raised her hand again shakily. Moody grunted and limped over to her.

"Well?"

" _A-Avada Kedavra_ " Hermione said shakily.

"Hmm…" Moody turned and summoned a spider from the jar. It zoomed to his outstretched hand in seconds. Very slowly, he set it down on Hermione's desk. Ron backed away immediately.

With one swift motion, Moody cast the last of the Unforgivables at the spider. A bright green light flashed briefly from his wand and the spider instantly turned into itself and twitched once before it stopped moving altogether. Harry's fingers tingled again and something warm spread over him but it disappeared quickly. He had felt this before at the World Cup, this surge of energy. He had felt it after seeing the Dark Mark and then, he had been overcome with the desire to strangle Lucas. Harry shivered and took a deep breath.

"The Killing Curse. Very deadly. There's no countercurse. There's no blocking it. Only one person is said to have survived it. And he's sitting right here in this room."

Harry felt Lucas stiffen beside him as the class and both of Moody's eyes focused on him.

* * *

October 31st, 1994

Before they knew it, a nearly two months had passed by and it was already Halloween. True to their agreement during the welcome feast, Harry, Ginny, Lucas, and Ron, as well as a few willing Gryffindors, played Quidditch during their free time. They didn't do it as often as they would have liked, since Lily had warned them beforehand that they shouldn't over-exert Harry just because he felt better now.

To Harry's relief, the effects of what happened to him that night at the World Cup hadn't faded yet. If anything, he seemed to feel a lot more energized, especially after Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons. They had moved on to practical lessons a week after learning theories and copying down information from Moody's blackboard. Their practical lesson was all about fighting the Imperius Curse.

Strangely, unlike his classmates who were left pale and clammy after being subjected to the Imperius Curse, Harry felt more energized. Even Lucas, who had been under the spotlight since the Killing Curse fiasco, wasn't immune to the Imperius Curse's after-effects.

"I don't know how you do it mate," Ron said, still shaking slightly as he took a big sip of pumpkin juice. He had embarrassed himself quite badly during today's practical lessons. "Everyone but you looks miserable."

Harry didn't get to answer Ron as they heard loud footsteps heading towards them.

"They're crazy!" yelled Hermione indignantly as she stomped towards the Gryffindor table. Harry looked up to see what had gotten her so riled up when Fred and George stumbled in after her, trying to tear each other's hair out.

Their noticeably white hair and… _beards_?

The student body laughed at their appearance and loud fighting. Even the foreign students seemed amused. Hermione sat down angrily beside Harry and began to explain. Ron and Ginny, who had been busy laughing at their brothers, immediately turned to her attentively.

"Those two idiots seemed to think a simple Ageing Potion would be enough to bypass the Age Line that Professor Dumbledore himself drew," Hermione huffed, her arms crossing again as a sign of her extreme disapproval.

For a while, the entire student body amused themselves with the Weasley twins' bickering until the teachers settled on their table at the front. Everyone quieted down and Dumbledore, seeing the twins' predicament, chuckled mirthfully and waved his hand. Fred and George's appearance instantly changed back to how it had been before they turned into old men.

Dumbledore chuckled again. "I should hope, that what had happened to Mr. Fred and George Weasley is enough to deter any underaged thrill seekers. However, forgive me if you do indeed have these urges, as I'm afraid submissions are officially closed. The Goblet of Fire shall choose our three champions tonight. But first, _let the feast begin_."

The feast was as splendid as it always had been but for the first time since Harry's stint at Hogwarts, no one looked interested in the food as they all had one eye on the Goblet of Fire. Dumbledore and the teachers seemed to notice too because the students had finished eating so quickly and were now openly gazing at the flaming goblet.

Sighing, the Hogwarts headmaster stood up and made his way to the Goblet of Fire. "The time is upon us, dear students. In mere moments, the Goblet will reveal to us our three chosen champions. Once called, I must remind you once again, that there is no turning back. Once your name has been drawn from these fires, it will constitute a binding magical contract that you will be obligated to honor.

"That being said, our champions will kindly go to Professor McGonagall," Dumbledore gestured to Professor McGonagall who stood near the door to the trophy room behind the teacher's table. "and await further instructions."

As if sensing that Dumbledore was done with this speech, the goblet's blue flames suddenly turned red and flared up higher. It expelled a smoking piece of parchment. Dumbledore caught it with surprising agility. He read the name on the parchment quickly and the entire hall waited with bated breaths to find out who it was.

"The champion for Durmstrang," said Dumbledore, opening out his arms. "is Viktor Krum!"

The Great Hall erupted into roars of triumph and loud squeals from Viktor Krum's fan club. Ron looked absolutely delighted that Viktor Krum had been chosen, as was Lucas. They were among those that had roared enthusiastically.

Krum stood from the Slytherin table and went to Professor McGonagall as instructed and disappeared behind the door behind her.

"That's what a champion should look like," Harry heard Lee Jordan tell the Weasley twins. Fred and George immediately clobbered him. Harry and the others who saw, sniggered.

Harry leaned towards Hermione and whispered, "Ageing Potion is the stupidest method I can think of to bypass Dumbledore's age line. Good thing they got stopped before they could even put their names in. Merlin, think of the chaos at having one of them as our champion."

Hermione raised an eyebrow at what Harry said. "Of _course_ it's the stupidest option. Not that you and I would know what would work better."

The goblet's fires turned red again and it spewed out another parchment. Fleur Delacour had been chosen as the Beauxbatons champion. She stood up and joined Viktor Krum in the trophy room.

Harry gave Hermione a mischievous look, which made him look so much like his father. "Oh, I don't know, I could think of a few…"

Hermione looked aghast. "You've given this a fair bit of thought, have you?"

Harry laughed. "Hermione, you know there are more obvious ways of bypassing an age line. One method was in Vetrova's Countercurses and Easy Fixes For The Wizard In Need. I lent you the book last summer, remember?"

Hermione obviously did not remember. She looked at Harry in disbelief. Harry ignored her accusing looks and clapped instead when Cedric Diggory's name was called as the Hogwarts champion. Dumbledore looked happy as he clapped Diggory's back and gestured for him to join the others in the trophy room.

"Excellent! We now have our three champions—" He was cut off by the Goblet roaring and expelling a fourth piece of parchment. The applause died down as everyone looked confused at the fourth piece of parchment. Dumbledore caught it and, without the same flourish and celebratory manner in which he read the previous three parchments, his eyes scanned the smoking piece of stationery.

"Harry Potter"


	9. The Fourth Champion's Predicament

Harry's stomach plummeted when he heard his name.

All eyes suddenly turned to him and he felt his chest constrict. All of a sudden, he was taken back to the time when his parents had taken him to uncomfortable social situations when he was younger. His social anxiety flared up like the goblet's flames, and he felt himself start to shake.

He heard Dumbledore call his name again, harsher this time. Harry refused to acknowledge it. _They made a mistake_. There was no way that someone like him was chosen. He had wanted no part in this since the beginning. He curled into himself, trying to shield his face from the stares, but then he felt someone nudge him. Harry obstinately shook his head.

"Harry, you need to get up."

When he looked up, he saw those nearest to him watch him as if he had betrayed them. Harry felt tears spring to his eyes and he quickly looked down again. ' _I didn't do anything. Stop staring,_ ' Harry thought and he tried to push away his malicious thoughts as his mind made everyone around him seem as if they were giving him scornful, disdainful looks.

"Harry… I can't believe you!" Hermione hissed at his side. "You actually did it?!"

' _No, I would never. I would never put my name in the goblet.'_

Dumbledore called his name for the third time, and this time, Harry could definitely hear his anger. He heard a chair scrape and then felt hands grip his arms. Harry, horrified, struggled against them as they hauled him up from his seat. It was Ron and the Weasley twins, but they looked more shocked than betrayed. If anything, they just forced him up lest they incur Dumbledore's wrath.

They pushed Harry towards the front, where Dumbledore waited for him with a fierce look on his face. It was an expression that he never thought he would see on the normally kind old man. His blue eyes seemed like it was twinkling with rage. Harry's eyes glued themselves to the floor again, wishing it would open up and swallow him whole.

"He's a _cheat_!" yelled a voice from the Slytherin table.

"He's not even of age!" yelled another one from the Ravenclaws.

Harry did his best to block them out. He stopped timidly in front of Dumbledore, eyes still focused on the floor. He only saw the headmaster's long robes and his hand giving him the piece of parchment that held his name. Harry hesitantly took it, not knowing what he should do right after. Dumbledore didn't say anything and his hands gestured for him to go forward, towards the trophy room.

Slowly and as if he had been put under the full body bind spell, he stiffly made his way to Professor McGonagall. Harry didn't dare look up and see the looks his teachers were giving him along the way.

"Potter…" he heard Professor McGonagall's voice say.

Harry stiffened when he heard her. He stopped in front of her and he looked up hesitantly and then Harry immediately wished that he hadn't. Unlike the others' looks of outrage, Professor McGonagall looked genuinely scared at what he had gotten himself into. She feared for his life, Harry realized. She looked a lot like that time she had caught him and Ron after they knocked out a troll in their first year.

She gave him a shaky nod and guided him gently towards the door. Harry began to tremble and looked pleadingly her.

"P-Professor… y-you know that I wouldn't—"

Professor McGonagall placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "It's out of my hands, Potter."

Harry slumped, resigning himself to his fate. ' _Just one Halloween… just let me enjoy one fucking Halloween in peace._ '

* * *

When Harry arrived in the Gryffindor common room later in the evening, the reception he received wasn't better than the outrage the teachers and committee expressed back in the trophy room. Harry shrunk into himself again, refusing to meet anyone's gaze.

As much as he (and probably everyone else in the castle) wanted to make his apparent status as a TriWizard Champion revoked, Mr. Crouch told them it was impossible. He had already entered into a binding magical contract with the goblet of fire but Harry thought that whatever penalty he would get from breaking that contract would seem insignificant next to his parents' rage when they find out.

No one was happy to see him get called as the fourth champion, as was evident in the face of every Gryffindor he passed as he walked through the common room. He could feel their hostility coming off in waves. It was as if the Gryffindor common room had turned into a literal lion's den.

He quickly made his way to the stairs that led to his dorm room but somebody caught his arm and spun him around. Harry instinctively wrenched his arm away but the other person held firm.

"Please, let go." Harry said softly, not wanting the entire common room to hear. It was particularly difficult since no one dared say anything, too focused on what he had to say about the events during the Halloween feast.

"No," a familiar voiced reached Harry's ears and his head rose sharply to meet the person's gaze.

It was Lucas. He was the one who grabbed him. His face gave nothing away but Harry could tell that he was furious. His hazel eyes bore onto his, as if challenging him to try and get away again. Harry slumped his shoulders and stopped struggling.

Everyone in the common room was looking at them as if they expected them to start trading blows but Lucas didn't say anything else to Harry. He just dragged him away from everyone's accusing stares and took him up to their dorm room. He must have told Ron and the others not to interfere because no one followed them up.

Lucas pushed Harry in and closed the door behind them. He then turned around wordlessly and dragged Harry towards his bed, sitting them both down on it. He glanced at him tiredly then looked away, twiddling his thumbs, looking like he wasn't sure how to start the conversation. He was still very much cross with Harry.

Finally, he straightened up and slowly said, "Did you—"

Harry immediately shook his head, green eyes growing wide. "No! _No!_ You know I would never!"

Lucas gave him that tired look again and sighed. "Harry, if you're lying right now—"

"I swear on my life Lucas," Harry said solemnly, placing a hand over his heart. "I swear on my life that I never put my name in the goblet and I would never even _think_ of doing so. _Please believe me_."

Lucas looked pained, as if he wanted to believe Harry but couldn't. Not until he had all the facts, at least. They had been in this situation too many times before. Danger always followed Harry around and as always, Lucas would have to fish him out of it as best as he could lest his parents direct their anger at him too. But this time, the mess Harry had gotten himself into was far out of Lucas' reach. There was no getting him out this time.

Lucas stared at Harry intently, which made Harry squirm. He never did like being under someone's scrutiny because he was subjected to it a lot by the healers. They never said anything good to him afterwards too so it had become his habit to put up a guard instantly. This probably made him look more suspicious to Lucas, unfortunately.

"Hermione's told me that you had several ideas on how to bypass the age line easily." Lucas said, daring him to contradict him this time.

Harry's heart plummeted at that. He mentally berated himself for being a cocky know-it-all. But then again, he didn't expect his name to pop out of the blasted goblet tonight. He had landed himself in a very sticky situation, indeed.

"Lucas, you know that I know a lot of things _in theory_. I wouldn't go around putting it into practice, especially with something as dangerous as the TriWizard Tournament. You have to believe me." Harry hoped Lucas would listen to his points.

"Then how do you explain what happened tonight?" Lucas asked him. "Because honestly, Harry, I don't know what to believe in anymore. I want to write to mum and dad immediately but I know it wouldn't be fair if I didn't get an explanation from you first."

"You don't have to worry about writing them," said Harry, bitterness lacing his tone. "I expect either Dumbledore or McGonagall have already sent word."

Lucas looked surprise at that and then pulled a face, as if realizing he was stupid not to expect their teachers to inform their parents at once.

"I really didn't put my name in, Lucas. Dumbledore and Moody have asked me that the entire time I was there at the trophy room." Harry told him, pulling his knees up to his chest. "Moody says he'll be looking into it. In the meantime, I have to compete."

" _What?!_ " Lucas squawked, standing up in his surprise.

Harry nodded glumly and muttered, "…stupid binding magical contract."

Lucas was still very much alarmed. He ran his fingers through his hair stressfully and then he started pacing. Harry hated it when he started to pace. It made him look like their father whenever he was stressed out and that was something Harry never liked seeing on the usually fun-loving man.

"Lucas, sit down, there's nothing we can do about it…" Harry said, laying down on the bed now. He was emotionally drained. He just wanted the night to end and deal with everything tomorrow. He would go to the library first thing in the morning and find ways to break the bloody contract.

Lucas looked incredulously at him. "Why are you so calm? You bloody got yourself into this thing!"

Harry propped himself up on his elbows and glared at him. "I _told_ you I didn't put my name in!"

"Yeah, and I suppose the fact that you recklessly rush head first into life-threatening situations since our first year also weren't your conscious decisions!"

Harry glared at him even more, temper starting to get the better of him. "I didn't _ask_ to be put in those situations! I just did what I thought was right!"

"Face it, Harry! You bloody like to put yourself in danger, as if we don't worry enough about your sickly arse!"

"What's your problem, Lucas?! How many times do I have to tell you that I _didn't_ put my name in?!"

"You don't exactly have a good track record, do you, Harry?"

"Alright," Harry growled, standing up. "then explain to me then, how you think I did it? Explain to me why you're so adamant that I willingly signed up for a dangerous tournament when even the healers at St. Mungo's have been telling me not to put unnecessary risk on myself? Explain how I, _the terminally ill wonder_ , went scrambling to put a noose over my neck?!"

Lucas' anger vanished from his face at Harry's outburst. He had seemed to realize how insensitive he had been.

' _Good, bloody git,_ ' Harry thought, still seething with rage at the fact that his brother refused to believe him.

They were both silent for a moment, the two of them trying to compose themselves. Lucas then turned to Harry again, signifying that it was time to continue their discussion.

"So what does Dumbledore think happened? Has he got any ideas?" Lucas asked.

Harry mentally cheered at the first sensible questions his brother asked.

"He thinks someone else put my name in. They don't know who yet. Moody also thinks a powerful _Confundus Charm_ may have hoodwinked it. That would explain why there are four champions instead of three."

"What do you mean? It was planned? It isn't a—"

"No… it isn't a mistake."

* * *

The next day found Harry in the library, as he had promised to himself the night before. He woke up before everyone else and rushed to the library. He didn't want to be subjected to everyone's stares again.

He scoured the library for all the books relating to magical contracts and piled as many as he could carry to a hidden corner. For the entire early morning, he read everything he could. It was only until the chimes from the clock tower alerted him that he was almost late for his first class that he stopped. Bleary-eyed and with no progress made, Harry shut the book he had been reading. The books he had gotten didn't reveal anything useful to him.

Harry ruefully made his way to Transfiguration, too tired to even retort to the student body's unkind remarks and rude stares. He didn't want to risk exerting his body even more so he walked at a slower rate than he would have liked. He didn't like missing classes but then he also wasn't looking forward to more of the accusing stares he received from his fellow Gryffindors last night. He'd rather get detention from being late.

He didn't get much sleep the night before, owing to the fact that Ron and Lucas had argued well into the night regarding Harry's status as a TriWizard champion. Harry was glad he had convinced Lucas that he didn't put his name in. He was a bit bitter though, that he had to mention Dumbledore's name to have any validity to his claims.

Ron still wasn't convinced when his and Lucas' argument ended but Harry hoped Lucas didn't give up and tried to convince him and Hermione. Harry didn't hold out hope that he did though. They way they looked at him last night kept jumping to the forefront of his mind.

When Harry reached the classroom, his classmates were in the middle of copying words off the blackboard and Professor McGonagall was on her desk, grading essays. Harry quietly slipped into the only empty table which was near the front, painfully aware of the stares he was getting. Even Professor McGonagall looked up at his entrance.

"Oh, good of you to join us Mr. Potter. Though, I don't appreciate your tardiness. That's five points from Gryffindor," she said, lips spread into a thin line in her disapproval. The Gryffindors in the room groaned.

Harry apologized as he started taking out his notebooks and quill. Professor McGonagall's face softened when she saw his pale face and the dark circles under his eyes. She then made a mental note to have the boy checked over by Poppy.

" _The great and wise fourth champion graces us with his presence at last_ ," whispered a voice behind him and a series of muffled laughter followed. They were quickly silenced with a glare from Professor McGonagall.

Harry looked behind him to see who had said it and his eyes caught Ron's. He had an unreadable look on his face. Beside him sat Lucas, who gave Harry a sympathetic look. A few tables from them was Hermione, who saw him look at her briefly before pointedly ignoring him.

Harry's heart sank. His two best friends acted so distantly towards him. Did they believe everyone else in the school? He threw a desperate look at Lucas again and he mouthed, " _Later…"_ at him and then continued writing. Harry felt even worse. He couldn't believe that the two people he trusted the most had turned his back on him just like that.

He spent the rest of the lesson in a daze, making several mistakes when it came to practical lessons. Professor McGonagall's concerned looks didn't help either. In the end, he only managed to turn his hedgehog into a passable pin cushion but a few of the hedgehog's quills were still embedded in it. McGonagall gave it a disappointed hum before moving onto other students.

As soon as class was dismissed, Harry rushed to Lucas so he could hear how his friends had taken his pleas of innocence. Hermione huffed angrily when she saw him and rushed off with Padma Patil. Ron looked between Harry and her and his body jerked towards the door's direction, as if he meant to follow Hermione before he stopped himself. He followed Lucas instead as he met Harry halfway.

"Don't mind her. She's not angry." Lucas said, referring to Hermione's exit.

Harry raised an eyebrow at that. Hermione was obviously angry.

"She's just upset."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Lucas laughed. "No, she's not angry with you anymore. I think she believes Dumbledore and Moody but she's upset that you ran away this morning and didn't even try to explain yourself. She really believed what you said, you know. The thing you said before the goblet…"

"Spit out my name, yeah…" Harry finished for him, cursing himself again. He looked at the door longingly, wanting more than anything to chase her down and explain everything to her. Lucas clasped his shoulder and held him down though.

"You'll get your chance to tell her later. Let her cool off for now," he said.

Harry nodded and then he turned to Ron. "A-And you…?"

Ron shifted awkwardly. "I believe you now. Lucas had to knock it into me this morning though."

Harry's brows furrowed in concern. "Why? What happened?"

Lucas coughed awkwardly. "We… kind of got into blows at the dorm room this morning. Then again, if I didn't literally knock some sense into him, he would still be sulking around and glaring at you."

"Hey! I said I was sorry!" Ron said huffily.

Lucas smirked. "Not to Harry, you didn't."

Ron rolled his eyes but he went to Harry nonetheless.

"I'm very sorry for not believing you, Harry. I was a nasty, jealous git last night," Ron said seriously. Harry could tell he really was regretting the way he had acted last night. Truthfully, Harry was just glad he didn't lose his best friend like he thought. He was glad Ron saw sense quickly, even if it was by way of a very swift blow to the head courtesy of Lucas.

"Thank you, Ron. For a while there, I thought I had lost my best friend."

Lucas cleared his throat and grinned proudly at them. "As long as you have me, your _amazing_ brother, you won't lose your friends. Honestly, I'm such a saint, risking my good reputation like that."

Ron and Harry rolled their eyes at Lucas' theatrics. They pushed past him and started walking to their next class. Lucas, very offended, chased after them, only to be stopped by Dean and Seamus who looked like they wanted to confront him on the fourth champion issue. Lucas had been very vocal of his support to Harry after all.

Harry turned back to help him but Lucas held out his hand to stop him and told him to go ahead. Seamus and Dean didn't look at Harry as hostilely as the rest of the school but they did share the same apprehension at having to accept him as the fourth champion.

"I'll sort this out, Harry. You just go. You were already late for one class today," Lucas said gently, urging Ron to get Harry to class.

Ron understood and steered Harry around, whispering, "He'll be fine. If anyone can charm anyone to believe him, it's bloody Lucas Fleamont Potter. He's like Mr. Potter that way."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah… I went there. I didn't like Ron behaving how he did in the Goblet of Fire and like… what's the use of having someone as influencial as the Boy-Who-Lived for a brother if he can't change anyone's minds? Harry didn't have anyone in canon so I hoped Lucas would help out in making his friends see sense.
> 
> Hermione's still a bit grumpy, btw but she always was the patient and understanding one of the group in canon so she knows Harry wouldn't dare join something as dangerous as the tournament with his health being… well, that bitch. lol


	10. Fire Hazards

It hadn't taken much to get Hermione to forgive Harry but she did make it very hard for him to chase her down. Harry was relieved when she told him that she wasn't angry at him for having done what everyone who was underaged at Hogwarts had failed to do. Rather, she was angry at him for making her think that he had purposefully joined to prove his ability and intelligence like a braggart. A reckless, irresponsible braggart who didn't even bother to explain his actions to her the next day and letting the entire school think he was an attention-seeking maniac.

She pestered him nonstop about the things he knew about the Age Line right after that as if nothing happened in between the Halloween feast and Harry's apology. Harry didn't mind sharing all he could. In fact, he missed bouncing off ideas with Hermione.

Hermione and Ron having his back was certainly very much needed, especially in dealing with the problems that arose after the Halloween feast. Almost the entire school had turned its back on Harry. They even went so far as to discredit Lucas too, calling him a lunatic just like his brother.

It had only been four days since the choosing of the champions but the harassment had already escalated to taunting Harry openly even at breakfast, when most of the students who stumbled into the Great Hall were bleary-eyed zombies and couldn't really comprehend what was happening.

This particular morning, Malfoy and his cronies had come to them sporting a large button pin that displayed the words ' _Potter Stinks_ ' in very bright colors. Lucas flicked him off, not having the energy to deal with him this early in the morning. The Slytherins just guffawed and yelled, "Potter stinks!" over their shoulders as they passed.

Harry groaned and let his head fall on the hard wood surface of the table. Hermione gave him a very sympathetic look but didn't say anything, knowing that nothing she could say would help. Ron, oblivious as ever, gave Harry's back some light pats and said, "Cheer up, Harry. Malfoy's probably just jealous". Hermione smacked him with her Ancient Runes book for that.

Harry didn't get up from his position until the owls started coming in. His eyes scanned the multitude of owls that were flying over their heads, hoping that he didn't spot a familiar one bringing in a howler. He then spotted his father's barn owl heading towards his direction, with a white envelope clutched in its talons. Harry briefly sighed in relief at the fact that it wasn't a howler. The howler he got alongside Ron in their second year was mortifying enough.

His father's owl dropped the letter gracefully in front of him before it landed on Lucas' shoulder. Lucas winced slightly at its sharp talons but gave the owl some water and some owl treats anyway. It nipped at the treats greedily and Lucas barely managed to pull away his fingers in time.

"Sidra, what the hell? The treats aren't going anywhere!" Lucas said loudly when the bird nearly bit off his finger at its eagerness to get to the treats.

Harry chuckled at them. He had never been close to the owl, Sidra, but Lucas was always so determined to make her like him. He had been trying for nearly five years now and Harry could see that there was a bit of improvement. At least she didn't leave immediately after dropping off letters and parcels now.

Turning his attention back to the letter, Harry took out the contents of the envelope and started reading.

_Dear Harry and Lucas,_

_We're so sorry for only writing just now but you have to know we've been doing all we can to pull Harry out of the tournament. Your mother and I have gone to whoever we could possibly take this matter on to but we've had no luck so far. I've even scheduled an appointment with the Minister himself regarding this but it keeps being moved. I've had to stop Lily from blasting the doors to his office more times than I can count._

Harry's stomach twisted in knots. Well, he sort of expected that nothing could be done especially after Mr. Crouch's warning about the blasted contract. But to hear that even after going to the Ministry and all the experts they could talk to, no one could come up with a solution anyway.

"What's it say?" Lucas asked as he fed another treat to Sidra.

"Mum and dad's asked everyone they can about pulling me out of the tournament. No luck yet. Not done reading the whole thing though, hold on…" Harry replied, attention already back on the letter.

_That being said, we can't come up to see you as we would have sorely liked but I've called in a favor to a friend at work and he'd promised he could set up a temporary connection to the floo network installed on the Gryffindor tower. He says it'll take some time, what with the paperwork and approval. He says it'll be top priority but still, it'd take two weeks at most. We'll write you again when he gets it done._

_Harry, it's ridiculous that this even needs saying but we don't believe the nasty rumors that you put your name in the fire for any and all reason. Whoever is behind this is a sick and twisted_ ~~_bastard_~~ _man._

There was a tiny scrawl over the struck-out word telling them that Lily ordered him to erase it. The penmanship after those words changed and Harry recognized it as his mother's neat cursive handwriting.

_What your father means to say, boys, is that you need to keep an eye out for anything possibly dangerous or even suspicious. Someone has already gotten Harry in danger and I don't want something else happening to Lucas either. You boys keep each other safe. Lucas, keep watch over your brother. Harry, try not to put yourself in any more danger than you already are in. Not another toe out of line, I meant it._

The penmanship changed again and James' untidy scrawls followed Lily's message.

_Mum's just very wound up right now._

The 'w' on the word 'now' had trailed off messily, suggesting that James had been hit by Lily when she read what he wrote over his shoulder.

_We love you and miss you dearly, really. We'll write you again when we get the go ahead about that floo network thing._

_Love,_

_Mum and Dad_

Harry closed the letter and tucked it back inside its envelope, feeling relief wash over him. He had been anxious these past few days after the Halloween feast because of the lack of letters from his parents. It had been so long that Harry was sure they had composed a very long Howler each to send to him. Thankfully, they believed that he didn't put his name in. It took the immense weight off his shoulder.

Across from him, Lucas had already run out of treats to give Sidra the owl and so she left her perch on his shoulder and flew out of the Great Hall. Lucas muttered darkly about the bird being ungrateful before picking up the letter Harry had placed in front of him. While he read the letter silently, Harry turned to Ron and smiled brightly. Ron immediately brightened when he saw it. Harry had been very mopey these past few days.

"My parents believe me," he told him and Hermione. They both looked relieved at the news.

"Of course they would, I kept telling you but you wouldn't listen." Ron said but he looked as happy as Harry did anyway.

The clock tower's chime echoed around the mostly empty Great Hall signaling that it was eight in the morning now. Since it was a Saturday, the students moved at a more leisurely pace and woke up later than usual so the clock's chime didn't mean anything to them. But it seemed to mean something to Lucas because he swore loudly and stuffed his parents' letter in his pocket. He downed the pumpkin juice he had been nursing and snagged a piece of toast before rushing out of the Great Hall.

"What's he in a rush for?" Ron asked.

Harry turned back to his plate and simply answered, "Dumbledore's lessons."

"His what?" Ron asked in disbelief. "I didn't know Lucas' grades were that bad to be taking lessons from Dumbledore himself, blimey…"

Harry snorted. "No, it's advanced classes. Savior of the Wizarding World stuff."

Understanding dawned on Ron. "Oh"

As they ate in silence, Harry's head turned to look outside. It was a perfectly cloudy day and he only had one thing on his mind.

"Do you want to go flying with me after breakfast?" Harry asked Ron.

Ron grimaced. "Oh… no, Harry. I kind of had other plans. Charlie's asked me to help him out with something."

Harry's brow furrowed. "Charlie? Isn't he in Romania?"

"Yeah," Ron sniffed. "He wants my help on something. Probably wants to make me his messenger and ask teachers stuff regarding his job. Ugh, I don't even like talking to our teachers in class."

Harry felt sorry for Ron and almost pitched in to help him, were it not for the new wave of students that flooded into the Great Hall for breakfast. They all gave him that dreaded look again and it was only a matter of time before the insults started up. He wanted to help Ron but he also wanted to escape the everyone's eyes on him in the castle.

Harry looked down at his plate immediately and muttered, "You go help Charlie, Ron. I'll just… I'll probably take a stroll around the lake. Get some air."

Ron and Hermione started to notice the murmurs too and they nodded at Harry.

* * *

Harry found himself under the willow tree near the edges of the Black Lake with Neville after breakfast. He had found Neville knee-deep in the water, playing with a water plant and fiddling around with a Herbology book which he laid out on the shore. Harry would have preferred to be alone but he didn't mind Neville's company. He didn't accuse Harry like the rest of the people he shared their dorm room with.

Harry didn't really have anything better to do so he just watched Neville figure out the characteristics of the plant he was holding according to the book. Harry half-heartedly skimmed the book when he first arrived but quickly put it down and observed Neville instead. Normally he would have devoured any new knowledge but he just didn't find Herbology to be a fascinating subject.

A twig snapped from behind them and Harry turned his head in alarm. He was met with Ginny Weasley walking towards him, slightly out of breath.

"Thank _Merlin_ I found you here. Ron just told me you were at the lake but didn't tell me where specifically. I didn't fancy walking around the entire lake, bloody hell," she muttered, sitting down on the tree root near Harry.

"Er… hi, Ginny." Harry said slowly, still surprised at her unexpected appearance. He faintly heard Neville say hello from his position in the water and Ginny waved back at him.

"What brings you here?" Harry asked.

Ginny gaped at him. "I-I thought Ron told you! He said you wanted to go flying but he had to help out Charlie so he sent me instead. Oh, that bloody git, I'll strangle him!"

She looked mortified and very red. Harry did his best to reassure her.

"It's okay, Ginny. Ron might've mentioned it when I left the Great Hall. It's my fault I wasn't listening. I'm sorry."

Ginny waved his apology away awkwardly and she cleared her throat. "No, no, don't apologize. You don't need to apologize to me for that."

Harry scratched his head sheepishly. "Um… but it kind of is my fault, I think. I let it slip my mind."

Ginny internally screamed at Harry's stubborn insistence. Noble and kind to a fault, that was how Harry had always been to her. If he said it was his fault then it was his fault. Unfortunately for him, Ginny was just as stubborn as he was so she didn't let him get away with shouldering all the blame, even if it was just for this one tiny thing.

"Look, it's no one's fault, alright?" Ginny said, rolling her eyes. "Don't add it to your pile of woes, Harry."

Harry laughed. "You're making me sound like a mopey idiot."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him. "Are you not?"

"You wound me, Ginny, truly. And here I thought I had earned enough respect being a Quidditch coach to you these past few years."

Ginny laughed. "Quidditch is probably the only thing you've got going for you."

Harry laughed again and Ginny smiled widely at him.

They slipped into playful banter quite easily when it came to Quidditch, it being their common ground. Ginny didn't have to worry about the butterflies in her stomach as much. It was when things shifted from Quidditch that she had trouble controlling her emotions.

Harry looked at her gratefully. "Thanks for the laugh, Ginny. I needed that."

Ginny frowned. "That bad, huh?"

Harry shrugged. "I'm not Lucas. I'm not used to the attention. It's not even the _good_ kind of attention. They look at me like I roasted their owls for fuck's sake."

Ginny toyed with the button on her sweater, not really sure what to say that wouldn't embarrass herself. She _did_ get her fair share of accusing stares and open staring after the Chamber of Secrets fiasco, so she guessed she could understand what it felt like to be jeered at. Her situation wasn't exactly the same but like Harry, she was also caught in someone's evil schemes and it had endangered her life.

"I'm sorry you have to deal with their judgmental looks. It's the worst," Ginny said quietly, lost in thought.

Harry noticed the look on her face and realized she was talking about the time the school found out it was her who was involved in the reopening of the Chamber of Secrets. He grimaced at the thought. He had been spared from the gossip since the recognition was passed onto Lucas secretly but only Harry and Ginny truly knew what happened inside the chamber that day and they knew that the rest of the school had no right to judge.

"Hey… the diary thing wasn't your fault. We've gone over this with Dumbledore."

Ginny was startled to hear that he knew what she was thinking. "I-I know, don't worry."

"Good. I can't have you mope too. One of us is enough." Harry joked. Ginny laughed, thankfully.

Harry laughed with her. He didn't talk to Ginny much outside of Quidditch talks but he found it quite nice. Harry quickly learned that she had quite the sailor mouth, enough to rival Ron's. He didn't know how he didn't notice it but then again, he rarely talked to her for this long. Though, he shouldn't be surprised given that she grew up with six older brothers. Harry also discovered that she was quite adept at dueling spells. Ginny confided that she had started learning on her second year because she didn't want to be defenseless again.

They could have talked more, with Neville putting in his thoughts every so often, but they were interrupted by Ron's frantic yelling. Harry, Ginny, and Neville's attentions were all on Ron who ran towards them, eyes wide in panic and face looking very pale.

Ginny stood up to catch him in her concern. "What's gotten into you?"

Ron ignored her and rushed straight to Harry, shaking his shoulders. "Hagrid's looking for you!"

"What?" Harry asked, bewildered at Ron's frantic state. He glanced at Ginny who only shrugged.

"Hagrid's looking for you!" Ron repeated, louder this time.

Harry tried to remove Ron's vice-like grip on his shoulders but he just kept shaking him more and more. Harry yanked himself out of Ron's reach and stepped back, nursing his sore shoulders.

" _Alright!_ Hagrid's looking for me! Why the hell do you look so scared?!" Harry yelled and then stepped back again when Ron made to grab onto him again.

"It's about the first task!"

Harry's eyes widened and he caught Ginny's surprised look behind Ron too. He turned back to Ron, now more confused at this weird turn of events. "How in the world did you know about the first task?"

"I know what it is!" Ron exclaimed. His eyes still looked crazed but he did seem to be a bit calmer than before. He swallowed thickly and then continued in a much more subdued voice. "Well… not really, but I _do_ know what you'll be facing."

"Well, why do I have to meet Hagrid then? Just tell me." Harry said.

"No, you _need_ to meet Hagrid, trust me. And I can't say. I've sworn not to say. I'm so sorry, Harry." Ron slowly made his way over to the tree and slumped down, taking deep breaths.

"Well… do the other champions know?" Harry asked.

Ginny had to stop herself from rolling her eyes. There he was again, kind and noble Harry Potter. He didn't even think of this as an advantage. Merlin _knows_ he needed all the advantages he could get in this already unfair arrangement.

"I expect they do," Ron answered Harry. "I've seen the giant lady from Beauxbatons hanging around Hagrid this morning when I… mate, just go to Hagrid. He'll be waiting for you at his hut tonight at eight."

"Why do you look so scared? Is it that bad?" Harry asked.

* * *

_Oh, it was bad. It was fucking bad._

Harry climbed into the portrait hole later that night. The common room was empty save for his friends and Lucas, who stayed up to wait for him to get back. They looked up expectantly when the portrait hole opened up and no one stepped in.

Harry slid off the invisibility cloak and looked at them hollowly.

" _I'm fucked…_ "

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry if it feels like we're moving at a snail's pace. I get so caught up writing the minute details. I need to work on that. Also, updates aren't as quick as before. I was on a Harry Potter high when I wrote chapters 3-9 so I was able to update every 1-2 days but the high has worn off now. I'm still writing but slower now lol


	11. Fire-Proofing

" _Dragons are extremely difficult to slay, owing to the ancient magic that imbues their thick hides, which none but the most powerful spells can penetrate..._ well that sounds lovely." Harry snarked as he closed the book he had been reading. "Bloody helpful, that was. Didn't even mention _which_ spells those would be."

Lucas looked up tiredly from his copy of ' _Dragon Species of Great Britain and Ireland_ ' to see what was up with Harry. His eyes were almost closed. Honestly, he looked like he could fall asleep any second now. Ron was already out, snoring away with a different book about dragons covering his face.

"You could do without the sass…" Lucas yawned. He finally put down the book and used it as a pillow instead.

Harry glared at him. "Oh, _I'm sorry_ , you're right. I'll just let myself get burned alive willingly."

"…or not. Sass the dragon to death, why don't you?" Lucas said, settling down on his makeshift bed of books and throw pillows.

"Will the both of you _stop_?!" hissed Hermione. She glared at the Potter twins over a very thick book she cradled on her lap. She was probably the only one who looked alert despite going through three books in one day in comparison to Ron and Lucas' one. Harry had gone through about the same amount as Hermione but even _he_ was starting to feel tired and frustrated at the lack of helpful information.

Still, he heeded Hermione and stopped fighting with Lucas. Lucas only grunted and turned his back on Harry to get some sleep before their parents called. Harry was too anxious to sleep, though. He scanned the book in his hands wearily again.

He didn't know how to face a dragon head on but he did know how to salvage its remains for useful potions thanks to the books he had read. None of the dueling and offensive spellbooks he borrowed from the library even mentioned any of the spells working on a dragon. As far as he and Hermione knew, no spell a student their age could conjure would be enough to pierce a dragon's hide.

Harry and Hermione had gone through about eight books the past week and they had borrowed more from the library to read in the common room. They would have liked to stay in their secluded spot in the library but tonight was the night Lily and James Potter were calling from the fireplace. It turns out their contact at the Ministry was more efficient than they had thought. He had managed to get them connected in less than a week.

They were now just waiting for their parents faces to show up in the fire. The students in the common room had left for their beds and it was mostly deserted except for the Weasley twins in the corner who were too busy with their inventions to pay them any mind.

As Harry read the same sentence over and over again, the embers in the fireplace suddenly roared to life and his father's face appeared in the flames. He was about to say 'hi' when a hand pushed him to the side and Lily's concerned face came into view.

"Harry? Lucas?" she called, eyes scanning the common room.

Harry fell out of the armchair he was sitting on in his mad dash to get to the fireplace. Hermione looked startled when he hit the ground, thinking that he had fainted again or something. Thankfully, it was nothing. She stood up and made her way over to the fireplace, kicking Lucas gently to wake him and shaking Ron awake on the couch.

"Harry! There you are! Wait, where's Lucas?" Lily said, eyes once again roaming the common room. James slowly came into view to her left.

"Hi!" he said, smiling at Harry.

"M'here!" Lucas said groggily as he crawled towards the fireplace. He yawned loudly before sitting up properly next to Harry.

"Oh, sorry love, I didn't mean to wake you." Lily said.

Lucas, who was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, mumbled 'it's alright' to her. Harry leaned a bit more forward to address his parents.

"Did you get the letter? I wasn't sure since I never heard back from you. Uncle Remus and Sirius gave us their replies yesterday but it wasn't that helpful." Harry rambled, his worry seeping into every word.

"Harry, Harry, sweetheart, breathe." Lily said soothingly. She wished she could jump in and hug him more than anything but the connection was only for floo calls. "We got your letter, don't worry. To be honest, I'm still angry at Dumbledore for still letting you compete. Merlin, this is… it's a _dragon_! What sane parent would let their child face a fully grown dragon?! They're insane, the lot of them! Even the Minister won't budge!"

James patted Lily's back to console her and turned to Harry. "You mentioned Moony and Padfoot sending you letters? What did they suggest you should do?"

"Padfoot said duck, cover, and hold," Lucas yawned.

Harry shook his head. "No, that wasn't all he said. He suggested learning _Protego_ at least, but I don't know if I can produce a shield strong enough to stop dragon fire."

James nodded thoughtfully. "No, that would be impossible but it could provide you a few seconds of safety so you can run to cover."

"I hope so. Uncle Moony told me to try learning a few fire protection charms to cast on myself before going in to face the dragon. He basically said the defensive spells he taught us last term were all useless."

James frowned but agreed nonetheless. "Yes, that's true. Fire protection charms sounds good. It won't do much against a dragon but at least you won't be burned too badly."

Lily looked uneasy at how casually they discussed Harry being subjected to dragon fire. She cleared her throat and said to Harry, "I've also been scouring the Potter library for anything that might help but the spells that can do damage to a fully-grown dragon are extremely hard and very dangerous if it goes wrong. I'm still looking though, sweetheart. Don't worry, I'm sure we'll find something."

Hermione then started discussing her own findings with Lily. Harry just sat numbly, thinking of his parents' words. In the end, they couldn't give him much help at all. They could probably face the dragon just fine if it was them but he was only a fourth-year student at Hogwarts. He couldn't possibly face one and live.

Feeling helpless, he thought back to the lessons he had sat in, hoping to remember something he might have missed, and his mind suddenly recalled his encounter with Professor Moody a few days ago.

' _Play to your strengths, Potter'_

Harry had been confused when he said that. What were his strengths? Books? He doubted chucking heavy tomes at a dragon would do much damage, not that he could throw that far. Harry thought about it more but still drew a blank. Unexpectedly, Ginny's voice floated in his mind and the memory of them talking in the lake with Neville replayed itself.

' _Quidditch is probably the only thing you've got going for you…'_

"Quidditch!" Harry exclaimed loudly, startling everyone around him. "Of _course_!How could I be so _stupid_?!"

Lucas gaped at him. "I think this is it. He's finally cracked…"

Harry stood up, almost jumping in glee at his breakthrough. Lily and James exchanged a look of concern.

"Mate, why in the world are you thinking about Quidditch? They've cancelled it this year, let it go, bloody hell…" Ron said, equally as scared as the others.

"No!" Harry said, rounding on Ron, eyes wide with excitement. Ron whimpered and backed away. "Professor Moody gave me a hint when he talked to me a few days ago, remember?!"

"Pfft… Professor Moody," snickered James from the fireplace. Lily smacked him.

"He said I should play to my strengths," Harry continued, unbothered by his father's comment. "I didn't understand what he meant back then but now I do! It's Quidditch! Flying! I'm good at flying!"

"Yes, Harry, you're a fair flyer," they heard George suddenly say from across the room, sounding annoyed.

"Now pipe down. You're not the only ones who are busy," added Fred, equally irritated. He had one of their canary creams smeared on his hand and his wand on the other.

"Hey, piss off! This is a matter of life and death!" Ron snapped.

"So is ours, so pipe down!" retorted Fred.

" _Shut up down there!"_ shouted a voice from up in the dorm rooms. They had disturbed the sleeping students, it seemed.

"Alright, alright, everyone settle down." James said from the fire. Everyone calmed down and Harry sat back down next to Lucas again. Hermione picked up her wand from the table she left it on and cast a _Muffliato_ charm around them before sitting down on the armchair near the fire.

"Right, you okay now Harry?" James asked.

Harry nodded. He was deep in thought and then his face fell, which spiked his parents' worry.

"What is it?" Lily asked.

Harry looked at them sadly. "Moody told me to play to my strengths and that means flying but… but I'm not allowed a broom."

James deflated at that. He was happy that Harry had found them a solution he was capable of doing without risk of it blowing up in his face but then they hit this snag. Lily, who had been silent as well on his side, suddenly brightened up and she hit James' arm repeatedly in her excitement.

"No, I've read the rules repeatedly these past few days, Harry. It only said you aren't allowed to carry a broom with you when you face your task. It didn't say anything about having it come to you."

"The summoning spell…" Harry breathed, eyes looking at his mother gratefully. "Mum, thank you!"

The rest of them cheered at the breakthrough. Harry felt elated that he at least had a way to get around the dragon now. Once the initial anxiety and crippling fear had washed away with the elation of finding a strategy, his mind began to work again. He was calm enough to be rational now and his mind formulated the rational conclusion that the committee couldn't really expect students to slay a dragon. He had seen Charlie Weasley and even he wasn't spared when he worked with tamer dragons. The dragon was probably just an obstacle. ' _But to what?_ '

"Right, so that means I've got to focus on learning the summoning spell, _Protego_ , and fire protection charms. One and a half weeks will be pushing it but I think we'll get it done." Harry said, already formulating a schedule in his head.

Ron rolled his eyes. "One week… did you hear that? Knowing you, Harry, you'll probably master it in no time."

"You're exaggerating, Ron."

* * *

Ron wasn't exaggerating. Though it wasn't as fast as Ron had claimed, Harry did pick up the summoning spell quickly and did quick work on the fire protection charms as well. He had been adept at it by the fourth day of their training so he focused on learning the shielding charm, _Protego_ , and trained his magic to strengthen it bit by bit every day. His friends and his family were all very amazed at how fast he had learned the three spells. All three of those spells weren't introduced to them in their regular classes yet and Harry learned them without much trouble.

"That's brilliant Harry! Keep it up for a little longer!" Hermione encouraged as she shot out a steady stream of fire from her wand. It was a pathetic little thing compared to a dragon's fiery breath but it was better than pelting Harry with rocks instead. Lucas was standing near Hermione, ready to join in with a second stream of fire the moment Harry gave him the signal.

They were at the lake again, obviously for safety purposes and partly so that Harry could get away from the other inhabitants of the castle. Everyone had gotten nastier as the first task grew nearer. Apparently, it didn't matter to them that he helped their champion, Cedric Diggory, by warning him about the dragons. They still shouted insults at him whenever he passed and even wore badges exactly like the one Draco Malfoy wore.

Harry pushed all that away to the back of his mind for now. Being taunted at school was far less scary when he was about to face a fully grown dragon in less than twenty-four hours from now.

Harry gave a nod at Lucas and he stood closer to Hermione. He pointed his wand at Harry then muttered ' _Incendio_ '. A steady stream of fire erupted from his wand, slightly bigger and stronger than Hermione's. It melded into Hermione's fire and strengthened the attack on Harry's magic shield. Harry was suddenly very glad he had casted a few layers of fire protection charms on himself beforehand.

Harry strained under the pressure but kept the shield up as best as he could. Ron was timing their progress at the shore and he held up two fingers at them, meaning it had been two minutes since he had his shield up. It was significant progress, considering he could only do two-second shields on the first and second day of learning _Protego_.

An appreciative whistle suddenly echoed around them and Hermione and Lucas stopped casting the fires to see who it was. Harry breathed a sigh of relief and hunched over to catch his breath.

"Dad! Mum!" he heard Lucas yell. Harry, who was still panting heavily and clutching his knees, was splashed with water as his brother dashed quickly towards the shore.

Harry looked up just in time to see Lucas tackle James Potter in a hug with Lily laughing lightheartedly as she moved away before she got hit by a stray limb. Harry grinned and made his way to them, albeit at a much slower pace than Lucas'. Hermione followed behind him.

Lily immediately encased Harry in a tight hug the moment he got on shore. She swayed them back and forth as if she was comforting a child who was younger than her teenaged son. Harry didn't care. He let himself be comforted. Truth be told, he needed it, especially with the hostility the other students had been showing and the pressure and anxiety the tournament brought.

"You're a day early…" Harry mumbled, his face still planted in the crook of his mother's neck.

Lily gave him a soft chuckle, still not letting him go. "I think we deserve this at least… given the fact that they won't let you forfeit the tournament. Your father and I insisted on this. One extra day with you is still a far cry for equal compensation, though…"

Harry burrowed his face more in his mother's neck and Lily obliged him, giving him gentle pats on his back as he did. She kissed his forehead and whispered, "Oh, Harry… you're alright. You're going to be alright."

"I hope so…" Harry mumbled but immediately regretted it when he felt his mother stiffen. She pulled him away and looked him sternly in the eye.

"Harry James Potter, you better be alright. You've been preparing to the best of your abilities and even if I don't show it, I have utmost confidence in you flying skills," she said and paused before adding, "…even if I want to keep you and your brother off a broom most of the time."

Harry just nodded at her words. He didn't completely agree with her confidence but he didn't want her to worry too much either. His father agreed with her completely though, as he was grinning widely at him while he had Lucas on a chokehold. They walked over to them like that and it was only until Lily gave James a reprimanding look that he let go of Lucas. Lily immediately went to hug Lucas like she did Harry.

James chuckled and put an arm around Harry. "You better be alright, for your sake. Your mother will murder you if you aren't."

Harry laughed nervously. "Thanks, but I don't know if I'm ready dad. I mean… it's a _dragon_!"

James shook his head and looked at Harry seriously. "You don't have to kill the bloody thing. No grown adult could, not by themselves anyway. You probably just have to get past it. That's where your excellent flying skills come in."

Harry still didn't look convinced and James could see it. He bent down a bit to look him in the eye and said, "Harry, not a lot of grown wizards, Aurors even, can conjure a decent magical shield. My partner, Charles Thistle, can't even do the shielding charm. You're already loads better than him Harry. You've managed to put up a shield that lasted a good while and that's plenty impressive. You might not know as many spells as the other champions for now, but you've got enough in your arsenal. Trust in those."

After saying that, he walked towards Lily and Lucas, the latter trying to get away from his mother's cuddles. James laughed loudly at Lucas' uncomfortable face.

"Merlin, Lily, don't embarrass the poor boy!" he called out, jogging to Lucas' rescue.

Harry was left to stew over his father's words and felt himself relax gradually. He was right, he shouldn't measure himself the same way as the other champions. They were older and more experienced. He didn't have those attributes but he did have enough skills to face the first task.

James suddenly stopped and turned back to Harry and said, "Oh, by the way Harry, bring out your firebolt."

Harry was shaken out of his thoughts at that. "W-Why?"

"I need to check it. I assume you've been keeping up with broom maintenance?"

"Er…"

James sighed. "Alright, we'll add that to the list. I need to add more protection spells to it anyway."

Harry's eyes widened at that. "I-Isn't that against the rules or something? Tampering with my broom, I mean…"

James frowned. "No, I don't think it is. Lily would have mentioned it if it was. She was the one who gave me the list of spells to place on your broom."

Harry gaped at his mother, who was now laughing at what Lucas said and trapping him to her side again. Lucas' face was almost as red as his hair now.

"M-Mum did?"

"She nearly broke down when she couldn't find spells to deal with the dragon. She stayed up for days looking for ways to give your protective enchantments. She even considered brewing a potion and smuggling it to you." James said, looking at his wife with pure admiration. "She loves you boys more than anything. You know that, don't you, Harry?"

Harry nodded numbly. He felt gratitude flowing through him as he looked at his mother. Lily noticed them looking at her and she gave them a radiant smile and waved. Harry waved back and he joined his father as he walked towards the two red-haired members of their family.

Harry hugged his mother and whispered, "Thank you."

Lily patted his unruly hair, confused at the unprompted hug, and said, "Sure… but what for?"

James filled her in and Lily made an "oh" sound. She then shook her head and smiled. "Well, we haven't casted the spells yet, have we? James, see to that please."

Harry looked up curiously and asked, "By the way, what spells are you casting on my broom?"

James gave him his signature mischievous look. "Let's just say the dragon won't be able to give your broom a single scratch even if it tried…"

Harry frowned. "I think this might be cheating, dad."

James rolled his eyes. "Pfft please... It isn't cheating if the playing field wasn't level in the first place. Think of this as an advantage, instead Harry."

"Okay… but still…"

James clasped his hands on Harry shoulders and shook him playfully. "No, don't say it. This isn't cheating. I'm sure your opponents have more sophisticated ways of handling the first task and it isn't fair that you don't have access to those because of your age. I swear, you're too kind for your own good, Harry…"

Lily reached out and ruffled Harry's hair. "He's right, love. Listen to him."

James whooped at that and he then pumped his fists in celebration. "Did you hear that? Your mother said I'm right! That's quite the achievement!"

Lily groaned. "Oh Merlin, here we go…"


	12. A Small Triumph, At The Very Least

It was over much quicker than Harry had anticipated. He still couldn't believe it even as he guided his firebolt away from the enraged Horntail and nearer to the stands that held the cheering audience.

"He's done it, folks! Merlin's beard! Our youngest champion was the fastest out of all our champions! We've got quite the underdog in our midst, ladies and gentlemen!" Ludo Bagman announced jovially.

Harry was still shaking as he tried to control his broom, which was quite a difficult task to do with his left shoulder mangled and his right arm clutching the golden egg almost as protectively as the Horntail. The mangled shoulder was his fault for misjudging the direction he took when he made an attempt to grab the egg earlier. He couldn't cast Protego in time and the dragon's spiked tail grazed him.

Funnily enough, his father's promises of protection held true for his firebolt. The dragon did try but his broom remained unscratched; Harry couldn't say the same for himself. He could vaguely hear the loud cheers from the blurry faces of the audience below him as he zipped past as well as the enraged roars of the Horntail from the other side of the enclosure.

As Harry placed as much distance as he could between himself and the dragon, he spotted Professor McGonagall, Professor Moody, and Hagrid beckoning him over to them and he was all too relieved to comply. It was really, truly over. He had the golden egg. He had completed the first task.

" _WATCH OUT!_ "

Harry's relief shattered when his head whipped around and was met with the sight of the Horntail breaking free from its chains. Its mouth was opening, ready to breathe fire in his direction.

Harry immediately dived down and did a roll to avoid the dragon's breath. He was very much thankful for the protective charms he had done on himself as well as the charms on his broom as the fire nearly swallowed him. Again, Harry's broom was left unscathed whereas his clothes and hair had definitely been singed. He was really beginning to envy the damn broom.

With the last of his strength leaving his arm, he lost control of his firebolt and fell to the rocky ground of the enclosure. He heard the crowd in the stands above hiss and scream when he hit the ground.

"Oh, damn it all to hell! Where are the dragon keepers?!" yelled Bagman from the stands. "Restrain the bloody dragon!"

Harry rolled over to his knees, got up without wasting any time, and started sprinting to the nearest boulder for cover but he could already tell from the sound behind him that the dragon was already releasing its second wind of fires. Running on pure instinct, Harry threw his broom aside and raised his wand, not minding the pain it caused his shoulder to do so, and yelled, " _Protego_!"

His shield went up in time and the dragon's fiery breath began its heavy assault not a second later. Harry screamed at the immense pressure at the barrage of fires that attacked his shield. This was a far cry from what he had practiced on yesterday with Hermione and Lucas. It also didn't help that he wasn't using his wand hand as it was currently holding the golden egg protectively and he had instead used his left hand with his injured shoulder.

"Merlin's beard! Is that…? Harry Potter's holding his own! What an impressive display of mastery of the Shielding Charm!" announced Bagman. For some reason, he had started commentating the events as if it was part of the tournament. "He keeps surprising us at every—oh good heavens, _someone call the bloody dragon keepers_!"

The dragon started advancing slowly towards Harry, still breathing fire. Harry focused on backing up towards the boulder he had been running to; it wasn't that far now. As he stepped behind the large rock, his shield began to falter. The fire got to his right arm before he could turn away and he felt the charms he cast on himself protest feebly before shattering.

His right arm was up in flames in mere seconds and Harry howled from the pain. The egg he had been clutching fell with a dull thud next to him. He felt someone run up to him and extinguish the flames with some water but the damage had already been done. Harry smelt the horrible burning flesh once the smoke dissipated and he threw up.

"Hagrid! Hagrid, quickly! Carry him to Poppy!"

Harry recognized it as McGonagall's voice. She had been the one who helped him. He then heard Moody's recognizable clanking as he shouted a spell that he couldn't identify at what Harry assumed to be the dragon. There were also distant yells and more roaring as the dragon keepers and Ministry Aurors worked together to subdue the enraged Horntail.

Hagrid was gentle when he lifted Harry from the ground but he damn near broke his neck when he sprinted towards Madame Pomfrey's medical tent. McGonagall had to stammer out warnings to him as she raced behind him.

"Oh, my word!" the Hogwarts nurse exclaimed when she saw Harry's state. "Lay him here, Hagrid."

"By Godric's name, this boy has the worst luck," Professor McGonagall said as she hovered worriedly near Harry's bed. "All he had left to do was to come to us but the dragon broke free."

Madame Pomfrey tutted as she examined Harry. "Bad burn… this will need time to heal, unlike his shoulder. I can fix this in an instant."

As she set to work, several people suddenly flooded inside the tent. Lily and James were at the head of the group that entered and they immediately made a beeline towards Harry's bed. Lucas, Ron, and Hermione followed behind them closely.

"How is he?" Lily cried as she rushed forward. McGonagall was quick to catch her before she could get in Madame Pomfrey's way.

"Poppy will mend him in a heartbeat, just as she always has. You needn't worry, Lily," she comforted her former student. "You too, Mr. Potter."

James, although still very pale and shaky, managed to say, "Minnie, come on… we're closer than that."

McGonagall's lips spread into a thin line, obviously displeased at James' attempt at humor. Though she couldn't really blame him. Harry Potter was both very unlucky and lucky at the same time. Unlucky that the dragon he had faced broke free before he could leave the enclosure and lucky in the way that he managed to get away with wounds that Madame Pomfrey could easily heal. She couldn't imagine what his parents must be feeling and poor James was probably still in shock, which was why she bit back her retort.

While Madame Pomfrey busied herself with the nasty burn on Harry's right arm, having already closed up the wounds on his shoulder, Lily pushed away McGonagall's arm and attached herself on Harry's side. The professor just sighed and knew nothing she could say would dissuade her at this point so she left to inform the headmaster of Harry's state.

"The world's gone mad, I tell you. Last year it was dementors at the school, now it's dragons!" Madame Pomfrey ranted, summoning a salve into her outstretched palm while her other hand held her wand steadily over the nasty burn on Harry's arm. Lily looked away at the sight of it. "I shudder to think what they would set loose on these children next!"

James agreed with her. He felt rage course through him at the thought of more dangerous things headed in his son's way. If he and Lily had their way, Harry wouldn't even had been declared champion before the Halloween night ended. He had been so frightened, scared out of his wits, when Harry walked out into the enclosure. If dragons were the tip of the metaphorical iceberg, then what could possibly come next? They had prepared Harry to the best of his abilities but it hadn't been enough. He had still been injured and badly burned.

"Will the burns leave a mark, Madame Pomfrey?" Lily asked tearfully. She watched the older woman apply salves and spells on her son's arm and while it did its job, the arm still looked far from being healed.

"No, it will be the same as it was. It will take time to heal completely though. The burnt skin will need time to regrow and replenish. A few drops of dittany applied daily should do the trick." The Hogwarts nurse replied. She had removed most of the burnt skin and tissue as well as the pieces of Harry's clothes that had stuck and melded into his burns. Harry's arm was now littered with exposed muscle and raw, red skin.

Madame Pomfrey took out a bottle of Essence of Dittany and started dripping a few drops over the mangled arm. The skin around the patches grew almost instantly but it still looked very raw. Harry twitched when he felt the first few drops but then he quickly started to shake wildly because of the pain.

Lily tried to soothe him while James and Lucas helped to hold him down as Madame Pomfrey did the last few drops on the wounds near his hand. Lucas looked away as the wounds started smoking and the medicine started working its magic. His stomach turned at the sight of Harry's arm just minutes before and he couldn't bear to look on any longer than he had to.

After the smoke dissipated, Madame Pomfrey started wrapping Harry's arm up in bandages. She worked quickly but carefully, only stopping once to give Harry a dose of painkilling potion. Once she was done with the bandages and the sling she had put Harry's arm in, she left the Potters and went to find someone to report about Harry's condition.

"Does it hurt a lot? I can give you a bit more of painkilling potion," Lily said as she ran her fingers through Harry's messy hair.

Harry shook his head and mumbled, "No… I'm alright. My right arm's numb…"

James gripped his left hand tightly. "You scared us half to death, mate. Almost gave your mother and I a heart attack."

"And me," added Lucas from the foot of the bed. Ron and Hermione nodded their agreement from where they stood, quietly observing the family moment.

Harry swept his eyes over them, feeling a stab of guilt pierce through him. "I'm sorry… for… for worrying you. You've helped me so much and I couldn't—"

James quickly shook his head and stopped Harry from finishing his sentence. "No, no, no, Harry! You were _brilliant_! You flew so well! I have never been more proud in my entire life!"

Harry gave his father a tired grin. "Thanks… I still couldn't leave unscathed though. I think they'll dock points for that."

Lily huffed. She turned Harry's head to face hers and said, "None of that. Not one of the champions left unscathed tonight and you're not the worst off either. Besides, you only got burned _after_ you finished the task. They can't fault you for the dragon breaking free. That's their fault. You did very well today, Harry, believe me."

Harry noted his mother's red-rimmed eyes and felt another stab of guilt. He had made his mother cry again yet she still went out of her way to praise him despite it all. "Thank you, mum. I'd hug you if I could but both my arms feel like jelly at the moment."

Everyone around him laughed at that. However, the light moment ended when Alastor Moody and Madame Pomfrey re-entered the tent. His prosthetic eye rolled around frantically in its socket as he walked forward. It settled on James Potter and Moody's permanent scowl deepened further.

"Potter…" he muttered, addressing James.

James, ever the accursed rascal, answered, "…er, which one?"

Moody growled at him and James burst out laughing. "The devil with you, Potter!"

He limped towards Harry's bed, pointedly ignoring James Potter's fit of laughter, and said, "Can you stand, boy?"

Harry nodded. "I can but… I'll need some help."

Moody nodded and beckoned him to follow him out of the medical tent. "They're announcing your scores once you step out, come."

James helped Harry out of bed and supported him as he led them towards the dragon enclosure again. Thankfully, the Horntail had been subdued and taken out of the enclosure when they stepped back in. The crowd cheered at Harry's reappearance, alerting the judges to his presence.

They waved their wands and they showed numbers representing their scores for the crowd to see. James' eyes widened when he saw the numbers and he gaped at Harry, who had no idea if the scores were good or not. He didn't have a clue what the other champions had gotten.

"AMAZING!" Ludo Bagman bellowed from the stands, his voice amplified by the Sonorus Charm again. "Mr. Harry Potter has received high scores on his performance in the first task. He is tied with Viktor Krum for first place!"

"I what?" Harry said, very much confused at the turn of events.

James' proud grin met his gaze. Instead of answers to his question, he was instead given enthusiastic pats on the back. "First place! My son got tied for _first place_!" He turned around to address the other Aurors around them. "D'you hear that?! I can't wait to tell the entire department tomorrow! _FIRST PLACE_!"

* * *

Even after being checked over by Madame Pomfrey right after the final announcements from the tournament's committee, Lily and James still wanted him to be checked over by the healers at St. Mungo's. They weren't worried about the school nurse's ability; they knew she could heal as well as the ones in the wizarding hospital. They were more worried about Harry's illness and whether or not the events in the first task had triggered something.

Much to their relief, not much had changed but they still advised Harry to be careful and to continue with his nutrition potions and other vitamins. His weight had dropped slightly but the healers had told them that it was probably just the stress of the first task taking its toll on him. The results from his physical and magical examinations revealed nothing out of the ordinary for Harry but they did find that the dark residue had grown a little bit stronger since the night of the world cup and it had alarmed them slightly.

It was, thankfully, nothing too concerning. It wasn't bothering Harry too much and was just staying still and being the parasite that it was. It was nothing Harry hadn't dealt with before, so they left it alone; not that they would know what to do with it in the first place.

It had taken several assurances from the healers that it wouldn't harm Harry severely for the foreseeable future to get Lily and James to calm down and take Harry back to Hogwarts. Harry didn't understand the big fuss. He already knew he was slowly dying. He didn't think having been given a burst of energy after being exposed to the dark mark would change that. The healers didn't know how to help him and so he didn't hold out hope to get better, either.

Harry returned to Hogwarts that night after a teary goodbye from his parents. Lily had never wanted to let him go and he stayed in her arms for a good fifteen minutes before James pried her away.

"Let him go, darling. He has a celebration to get to." James winked at Harry. Internally though, he sided with Lily but he knew how important it was for teenage boys to have their own independence and be able to enjoy themselves with late night dormitory parties.

Lily still didn't look like she would leave his side any time soon so Harry gave her a reassuring smile. "Mum, I'll be fine. I'll keep seeing Madame Pomfrey until my arm heals. You don't need to worry."

"Oh, Harry…" sighed Lily, stepping closer to him and cupping his face in her hands. "I don't _need_ to worry but you'll find that I do it anyway. I always worry."

She pressed her lips on Harry's head and whispered her goodbyes before she joined James' side. James hugged his son tightly and said his goodbyes as well. He pulled Lily with him towards the apparition point after that and Harry watched them walk away. He watched them apparate out of Hogwarts with a sharp whiplike crack and he finally went inside the castle.

As he reached the fourth floor, he spotted a familiar head of red hair walking up a staircase that was already moving away from the landing where Harry stood. Without wasting a beat, Harry ran to get to the staircase, surprising the girl on it.

"Harry!" she gasped when she saw him.

Harry, still catching his breath, put up a hand to say hello to her. "G-Ginny… hey…"

Ginny watched him as he stood upright and walk towards her. Her eyes settled briefly on his bandaged arm but quickly looked away before Harry thought it rude.

"Bit late for you to be returning to the common room, eh?" Harry panted, standing at her side as the staircase settled. They started walking side by side as they climbed more staircases towards the direction of Gryffindor tower.

"Potions homework. Snape's been particularly nasty, assigning us three rolls of parchment's worth of essays." Ginny said sullenly.

Harry winced in sympathy. "I see… I haven't even started on mine yet. Though, I doubt he'll accept me fighting a dragon as an excuse."

Ginny laughed. "To be fair, that's not a particularly truthful excuse. You were hardly fighting the dragon, Harry. If anything, you were more of an annoying fly to it."

Harry barked out a laugh at that. "Hey, before you insult my strategy, I'll have you know it was you that planted it in my head!"

Ginny gawped. "What on earth are you talking about? I'm pretty sure I never told you to fly around a dragon."

"No, no, nothing like that. I was stumped when we were looking for ways to deal with the dragon and—hold on, watch out for that stair," Harry pulled her to the side and helped her hop over the vanishing stair. "—and then I remembered our talk, back then, at the lake. About Quidditch."

Ginny made a face. "And so you thought you'd deal with the dragon as if it was just another quidditch match? Harry Potter, you're barking mad!"

Harry grinned at her. It made Ginny's stomach do a flip.

"Maybe… but you helped me a lot. Thank you."

Ginny rolled her eyes. "I should remember to put a disclaimer on anything I say from now on. One day, you'll be tried by the Wizengamot and then you'll say I had a hand in it. Better put a stop to this now."

Harry laughed again. He had started the day as a bundle of nerves and he had been beaten and burned along the way but he was glad that he ended the day with this much lightheartedness. He felt grateful to have run into Ginny and wind down before he would face the loud party that the rest of the Gryffindors had prepared. They were quick to change their attitude after the first task but Harry honestly could care less about their fickle minds. He was happier to be with his friends who stayed by his side even under everyone's hostility.

They reached the Fat Lady's portrait much sooner than Harry anticipated and even from outside, they could hear the rowdy celebrations from the common room. The Fat Lady looked grumpy at the noise and looked even more so when she saw Harry approaching.

"Oh, just what we need, more screams!" she muttered.

Harry had half a mind to turn back and hide from the rest of his house but Ginny had already given the password to the Fat Lady and the portrait swung forward to let them in.

"Harry? You coming?" Ginny called, seeing him hesitate by the entrance.

Harry winced at the increased volumes of the Gryffindors' celebration and involuntarily took a step back. Ginny's face softened and went up to him.

"I'll go get Lucas," she said. "I'll tell him to find a way to get you past the crowd unnoticed."

Harry shot her a grateful look. "Thank you, Ginny. Tell him to bring the cloak. I'll wait for him out here."

Ginny looked confused but nodded anyway. She didn't think a cloak would help his case. If anything, that would make him look more conspicuous but she didn't question him. Whatever made him feel more at ease, she guessed.


	13. A Daunting New Task

Harry may have had avoided the celebration party that the Gryffindors (mainly Fred and George Weasley) had prepared the night before, but he couldn't get past them the next morning. He was ambushed by his roommates and the Weasleys on his way down to breakfast and they revived the festivities the night before, although with less enthusiasm. Some of last night's participants were still out cold in the common room.

Harry only managed to get away from them when Seamus Finnigan insisted that he open up the golden egg. Harry opened it under the condition that they let him be afterwards and they readily agreed. Loud shrieking pierced their ears as soon as the egg was opened and Harry hurriedly closed it. The occupants of the common room startled awake, breathing heavily as they tried to process their rude awakening.

"What the _bloody hell_ was that?" asked Ron incredulously. He slowly removed his hands from his ears and gave Harry a perplexed look.

Harry didn't have an answer to give him. He was just as lost as everyone else. Mr. Crouch had said that the egg contained a clue for the next task but nothing about the shrieking even began to shed some light on it. Seamus, after getting rid of the ringing in his ears, took the golden egg from Harry's hands and examined it intensely. Dean joined him and they started fiddling around with it. Harry paid them no mind; at least they were trying to help him decipher what the clue was.

"Who was screaming?" Lucas asked tiredly as he climbed down the stairs from the dormitories. He yawned when he reached the common room, not noticing everyone's confused expressions.

"The egg," Ron answered offhandedly.

Lucas stopped mid-step and looked at Ron funnily. "…the what?"

"Harry's egg."

Lucas and everyone else who heard it started laughing. Harry rolled his eyes and grabbed the golden egg from Seamus' hands. He then proceeded to climb up to their dorm room to put it away.

"That's one way to start my morning," Lucas chuckled. He sat down on one of the chairs near the window with Ron to wait for Harry to climb down. It didn't take him long but he did come back with a tie which, Lucas realized, he was missing. He mumbled out a thanks as Harry handed it to him.

"What have we got today?" Harry asked them as they made their way to the portrait hole.

"Erm… I think Charms first," answered Ron, reading out their class schedule. "and then Divination, Care of Magical Creatures, and then Transfiguration."

"Ugh… an afternoon with the skrewts again," Harry groaned.

"I thought you'd complain about Divination first," Ron said jokingly.

"Trelawney's going to be so disappointed that I didn't die yet," Harry said, climbing out of the portrait hole and waiting for Ron and Lucas to do the same. "Anyway, I hope they don't assign more work today. The weekend can't come any sooner... I need to catch up on my Potions essay. Good thing Ginny mentioned it last night or it would've completely slipped my mind."

"I haven't even started on mine," muttered Lucas as he finished doing his tie and climbed out after Ron and Harry. "I reckon I'll just copy off bits of yours and be done with it."

"You two can get whatever you want from my drafts but that's it," Harry said.

"You're bloody amazing, did I ever tell you that?" said Lucas gratefully.

Harry chuckled. "Since we were kids, Lucas."

"No, but I mean it! I don't know what I'd do without you," Lucas continued. "He truly is a generous man, our youngest champion!"

Harry shoved his face away. "Stop it. I'm not writing your introduction. You're on your own."

Lucas shrugged. "Eh, it was worth a try."

Ron laughed at their antics and swung his arms around the both of them. It wasn't particularly hard as he was easily a head taller than the Potter twins. Together, they all headed to their morning classes, laughing and joking around all the way to the classroom, not knowing that their peace was going to be shattered when they would walk out of the Transfiguration classroom hours later.

* * *

Harry was banging his head on the book he had spread out in front of him. He had already finished his potions essay and was now left to mull what Professor McGonagall told her class at the end of her lesson a few days ago. She had given him such a monumental task and he wasn't even close to tackling it.

Hermione, who had just walked in carrying a stack of books, looked at Harry with her brows furrowed. "Er… you alright Harry?"

"No," Harry answered simply, continuing to hit is head on the pages of the book.

"O…kay…" whispered Hermione, sliding into a seat next to him.

"Don't bother," said Lucas, scrawling furiously at the piece of parchment on his table. He was halfway done with his Potions essay and he had already run out of things to copy from Harry's drafts. He, instead, wrote whatever came to mind in hopes of filling up the empty space of his parchment. "Professor McGonagall broke him."

"Oh!" gasped Hermione, now understanding Harry's state. "This has something to do with the Yule Ball, hasn't it? But why would… oh yes! Of course, you're a champion! You're expected to—"

"To find a date and dance, I know!" moaned Harry. His face was now firmly planted on the pages of the book. "That dragon should have killed me when it had the chance…"

Lucas and Ron snickered.

"Fancy taking on a dragon rather than go to the Yule Ball, Harry?" Ron asked playfully.

"That's a problem that can be solved easily," said Lucas, cackling gleefully. "Just take the dragon to the Yule Ball."

He and Ron laughed loudly at that, much to the annoyance of everyone else in the library. Madame Pince sent a glare their way. Lucas and Ron forced themselves to be quieter but they kept laughing more. Hermione rolled her eyes and cast a silencing charm on them.

Harry flicked them off and resumed his moping. Hermione didn't bother him. She knew this was something she couldn't help with.

"Hermione… how do I ask someone to the ball? I mean… I'd make a massive fool of myself before I could even say anything," Harry said after a few minutes of silence passed by. His head was still laying on the book but he was looking up at Hermione.

Hermione continued doing her schoolwork and didn't spare a glance at Harry. "You're talking to me just fine, aren't you? I think you'll do alright, Harry."

"Yes, but…" Harry said, sitting up properly. "I've known you since our first year. I'm alright around you. Other girls… other people, really… well, I'm just no good at it."

Hermione gave a shrug. "Well, too bad. You're going to have to suck it up and ask someone to be your partner Harry. I can't help you."

Harry huffed and turned back to his book. "Fine, don't help me."

Hermione let out an annoyed sigh and set down her quill, fixing a glare at Harry. "Harry, really, you're so oblivious to everything. A lot of girls will want you to ask them to the ball. For example, that third-year Hufflepuff's been eyeing you this entire time and giggling into her book."

She jabbed her thumb towards the Charms section of the library, which was just opposite of where Harry was sitting, and, sure enough, a blonde Hufflepuff girl yelped and averted her gaze when Harry looked her way. Harry was stunned. He didn't expect that kind of reaction, especially since he was so used to the usual glares.

"See? I'm sure you'll find a partner easily. Though, please be careful when you choose them Harry," she dropped her voice to a whisper and leaned close to Harry. "I expect they only want to go with you because you're famous."

Harry looked at the Hufflepuff girl again and found himself wholly agreeing with Hermione's words. The girl was now twirling her hair and biting her lip to get his reaction and Harry immediately looked away, feeling embarrassed for the both of them.

"I promise I'll be careful," he said.

"Good," Hermione said, finally turning back to her schoolwork. Harry noticed that it was the Charms homework that Professor Flitwick assigned to them just yesterday. It wasn't due for another week. "Although, I'm guessing you already have someone in mind…?"

Harry rolled her eyes at her teasing. Hermione giggled.

"Oh, _come on_ , Harry. This is the perfect chance to ask Cho Chang, don't you think?" she whispered.

Harry blushed. "Shut up. You know I don't have a chance with her. Not in a million years."

"Says who?" Hermione said, annoyed. "You two are a perfectly reasonable match."

"Yeah but… when was the last time I actually talked to her? That time when I mumbled out something when she helped her teammate to the Hospital Wing last year? After the match with Ravenclaw? That was embarrassing."

Hermione shoved his shoulder. "Oh, come off it. Just try it before admitting defeat. You've had a crush on her for a whole year Harry, you might as well ask her now."

Harry shook his head. "Enough, I'm leaving before you set something up."

Hermione laughed lightly and let him gather his things in peace. Harry removed the silencing charm on Lucas and Ron and told them he was leaving. Lucas frowned.

"Where are you going?" he asked.

"Hospital Wing," Harry answered, lifting his scarred right arm for them to see. The bandages had been removed yesterday. "Today's the last day of treatment."

"Oh, right… See you later then." Lucas said.

"Yeah… see you…" Harry muttered, ignoring Hermione's whispers of " _Go ask Cho_ " to him as he passed her.

* * *

Harry was very glad after his visit to the Hospital Wing. His arm was back to normal at last. Madame Pomfrey gave him one last round of dittany treatment and then set to work on removing his scars right after. His arm looked perfectly normal now. Even Madame Pomfrey couldn't resist giving a very appreciative hum when she examined it for the final time.

Harry walked happily towards the direction of the owlery to give his parents the news, feeling the lightest he'd been in days. The rest of the school didn't bother him as much as before. He could probably give the credit to Cedric, who might have done it as his thanks for tipping him off about the dragons. Harry remembered him apologizing to him about the badges and the behavior the Hogwarts student displayed to him. Harry was just glad he didn't have to deal with so many glares and _'Support Cedric Diggory'_ and ' _Potter Stinks_ ' badges.

He reached the Owlery's steps and he quickly rummaged around his bag for a spare piece of parchment. He sighed in relief when he found some and was about to climb the stairs when he heard Lucas' voice from above him.

"Cho, do you want to go to the ball with me?"

Harry froze.

_Lucas was here?_

_And he was asking out Cho Chang?_

_Since when had Lucas liked Cho?_

Loud screeches and equally loud flaps of owl wings almost drowned out Lucas' question but Harry heard it. He held his breath and strained his ears for Cho's answer.

"I'm sorry. I didn't quite catch that," said Cho after things quieted down.

"Oh… ehm…" Lucas stammered. "I… I asked if… if you would want to go to the ball… with me."

"Oh…"

' _Oh, what?_ ' Harry thought, his heart pounding loudly in his ears.

"Lucas, I'm… I'm sorry," said Cho, sounding very apologetic. "Cedric's already asked me. And… well, I said yes."

"Oh…" Lucas said, very much dejected. Harry shared his exact sentiments. _Oh, indeed_.

"N-No, it's fine, Cho. It's alright. Just thought, I'd ask, you know?" Lucas laughed awkwardly.

"Lucas, I really am sorry," Cho said.

"Don't worry about it, Cho. You er… you take care going down the stairs. It's… slippery. The ice… you know," Lucas said awkwardly.

To Harry's horror, he heard Cho coming down the stairs and he quickly tried to hide on the side of the Owlery, out of sight from the stairs. He waited until Cho was far from the Owlery before letting himself breath again. Above him, he heard Lucas swearing and kicking at things inside the Owlery.

"Lucas, you idiot. You absolute _dickhead_!"

Harry heard a loud clatter and several owls squawking and hooting in protest. He felt his knees wobble from underneath him as it truly struck him that Lucas indeed liked the same girl he did. He never imagined he'd have to go through this with his brother but there it was.

Unfortunately for the both of them though, Cedric Diggory had already beaten them to it.

* * *

Several days after the encounter at the Owlery, Harry couldn't quite look Lucas in the eye. He was still very upset with the fact that Lucas had a crush on Cho Chang too and the fact that Cho was already going to the ball with Cedric Diggory.

Lucas noticed that Harry had been very withdrawn again lately but he just thought it was because he was under pressure from Professor McGonagall to find a partner for the Yule Ball. From what they heard, the other three champions already had dates and were already doing their scheduled dance practices.

Harry felt very silly going to those practices and having to dance with Professor McGonagall every time. He was very much thankful that the dance practices were strictly for the champions and their partners only. He couldn't bear to have someone see him stepping on Professor McGonagall's toes every few beats or so. As expected, the stern Head of Gryffindor house had grown tired of having to dance with Harry and had been repeatedly asking him to find a partner already so they could have ample time to practice before the ball.

Harry truly did his best to look for a suitable date but he either couldn't ask them or he had to reject those who asked him. He stood by what he said the day Professor McGonagall announced the Yule Ball. He would really rather have another go at the dragon instead.

After a particularly bad dance practice with Professor McGonagall, Harry made his way to the Quidditch Pitch, firebolt in hand. He had promised his roommates, excluding Neville, that they would go flying and maybe have a little pickup game of Quidditch. It was the perfect way to blow off some steam after a frustrating practice with Professor McGonagall.

Harry found his friends racing around the pitch on old brooms that they borrowed from the school. To Harry's surprise, there were a lot more people there than he anticipated, including the remaining members of last year's Gryffindor Quidditch team and some of the old reserve players.

Dean, Seamus, and Ron were trying to chase Ginny and take the quaffle she had under her arms. Despite being on a very old school broom, she had a rather sizeable distance between her and the three boys chasing her. Lucas, meanwhile, was trying to beat Angelina Johnson and Katie Bell in a shootout. The three of them took turns scoring while one of the Weasley twins defended the goal posts. The other was down on the ground selling their prank products to the spectators.

Ginny did a spectacular loop and flew to the opposite direction she had been heading to, scrambling Ron, Dean, and Seamus. She laughed and flew up to the goal posts and threw the quaffle into one of them.

"That's fifty for me!" Harry heard her yell from up in the air. "Go easy on her, my arse!"

Harry laughed loudly as he saw Ron glower at her. They finally spotted him when they heard his laugh and the four of them made their way to him.

"Hiya Harry! I hope you don't mind that we started without you," Seamus said.

Harry shook his head. "No, please, by all means. Your teamwork's coming along. Not enough to beat Ginny, though."

Ginny grinned and gave him a thumbs up. Ron scowled.

"That's cause her broom's one of the better ones. I've got rotten luck. I didn't notice I got one of the faulty Cleansweeps."

Ginny stuck her tongue out at him. "No, you didn't get me because you're shit at it."

"Just you wait! Harry, lend me your firebolt, I'll show her!" Ron said, going red in the face.

Harry snorted. "Ron, even if you've got the firebolt, you can't outmaneuver her. She flies too well."

"Oi! Whose side are you on?" Ron asked.

"Mine," Harry answered cheekily.

Ron growled angrily. "Fine, then if you won't help me, I'll go get a new broom. Just you wait, Ginny!"

He huffed and turned around, storming towards the broom shed.

Ginny smirked and called out, "You'd better improve your flying when you get back!"

Harry laughed. "Hey, lay off. He's already fuming."

Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Don't look at me like that. I know you'll crush him, different broom or not." Harry said, grinning.

Ginny laughed and settled down on the grass with the other spectators to wait for Ron. Meanwhile, Dean turned to Harry and asked, "Harry, can I have a go at your firebolt?"

Harry shrugged. "Er… yeah, sure. We've got nothing better to do while we wait for Ron."

Harry handed his firebolt over to Dean, who audibly gasped when he touched it.

"This broom survived a dragon. Harry, this broom's a legend," he said in awe.

"I hope so. That broom survived without a scratch while I had to deal with a burnt arm." Harry said.

He let Seamus and Dean be after that as they took turns flying the firebolt around the pitch. He made his way to Ginny instead, who was watching the Gryffindor chasers in their shootout match.

"Who's in the lead?" Harry asked, settling down beside her.

"I think it's Angelina. She looks very relaxed and you know how competitive she is." Ginny answered.

"Oh…" Harry said, squinting at Angelina, who was indeed sitting on her broom with her arms crossed smugly over her chest. "I think she's going to be the captain next year. She's perfect for the job."

"So that means I'll have to impress her." Ginny said, looking not the least bit worried. She was on good terms with Angelina and the older girl always complimented Ginny's skill during practices, even if she was only a reserve player back then.

"Yeah, I'd say you have a good chance of becoming a starting chaser next term." Harry said.

Ginny smiled at Harry. "Thank you. I've been doing all kinds of stunts earlier to get Angelina to notice."

Harry chuckled. "Believe me, she noticed. Look."

Harry waved at Angelina, who was staring at him and Ginny from up on her broom. Angelina waved back at them, pointed to Ginny, and gave her a thumbs up. Ginny grinned at the praise. She gave Angelina a thumbs up as well before she turned her attention back to her competition with the other chasers.

Ginny resumed talking with Harry, filling him in on what they were up to in the pitch before he arrived. They then branched off to talking about the World Cup and other Quidditch teams as they watched and laughed at Seamus shooting off when he tried to ride the firebolt. Dean was a much better flyer but he still had trouble with making sharp turns with the firebolt.

While Harry was discussing the Holyhead Harpies with Ginny, a gaggle of girls suddenly walked past them. They were all eyeing the male Quidditch players and giggling loudly whenever someone looked their way. Two of them waved at Harry, trying to get his attention.

Harry blushed and ducked his head, trying not to give them a reason to think that he was inviting them over. Ginny looked a little amused at the situation.

"I didn't know you had a fan club all of a sudden," she said. She saw one of the girls, a third-year Ravenclaw, swoon when she saw Harry nervously look back at them. She winced internally, feeling a strange and embarrassing sort of empathy towards them. If she hadn't spent as much time with Harry as she had over the years, she would probably have acted like that. She shuddered at the thought.

"They just want to be my partner to the Yule Ball," Harry muttered, wishing Ron would arrive soon so he could take off into the air and not worry about girls and dances and the Yule Ball.

Ginny gaped at him. "What do you mean? I thought you asked Hermione?"

Harry made a face. "What? When did I do that?"

Ginny shrugged. "I don't know. Everyone just assumed. She's the only one you talk to often."

"Well, no… I… she has her own plans, I think. I wouldn't know. She's been spending a lot of time in the library lately."

Ginny reclined on the grass, turning her attention back to the players zooming around the pitch.

"So why haven't you asked anyone yet?" she asked.

Harry pulled his knees to his chest. "I don't know. Girls are scarier than dragons."

Ginny guffawed. "Your mind works in the strangest ways, I swear…"

Harry chuckled with her, letting the silence take over. He stood by what he said in the library over a week ago. He'd rather face the Horntail again than ask a girl to be his date to the Yule Ball. He didn't know how to talk to anyone he didn't know and the girls he had encountered these past few days all had that strange look in their eyes as if they appraised him like a jewel in a pawnshop. The giggles and the whispering didn't help either. Why couldn't they be easy to talk to like Hermione and… his eyes strayed to Ginny and he was suddenly hit with a stupid realization. Ginny was a girl.

More importantly, she was a girl he was comfortable with.

"Hey, don't look now, but I think someone's gotten the courage to come over here and talk to you." Ginny whispered to him.

Harry could see a yellow and black scarf whipping in the wind from the corner of his eye and he understood that it was another Hufflepuff girl come to ask him to the Yule Ball.

"Hey… Gin, before she gets here, quick question." Harry whispered back.

"I'm all ears," she replied.

"Has anyone asked you to the Yule Ball yet? B-Because… I mean… if you haven't said yes to anyone yet or…" Harry tried to power through his stammering as he heard the Hufflepuff girl call his name. It was now or never. "Would… would you like to go the ball with me?"

Ginny, who was more interested in keeping an eye out for the approaching girl, suddenly froze and gaped at Harry. Did she hear that right?

"Ginny?"

Ginny tried not to mind the somersaults her stomach was currently doing as she slowly nodded her head. "…er, y-yeah sure."

Harry looked very relieved when he heard her affirmative answer. Ginny still couldn't quite process what she had heard. She was sure Harry said something else. He wouldn't ask her to the ball.

"Hello, Harry! I'm Marissa Selwyn," said a voice from behind them. The Hufflepuff girl had arrived. "I don't know if the rumors are true but I want to ask you if you want to go to the Yule—"

"Er, no. Sorry" Harry said awkwardly.

The girl looked like she had been punched in the gut and Harry immediately felt bad for his blunt response. He quickly stammered out his reason.

"That is to say, I've already got a date to the ball. I'm sorry."

The girl looked like she was about to cry and Harry was horrified. He was about to apologize again when she bolted back to her group of friends. They gave her sympathetic looks when they saw that she had been rejected. Ginny, meanwhile, had an odd look on her face as her brain finally processed that she had said accepted Harry's invitation to the ball and it was reaffirmed when Harry told Marissa that he was already going with someone.

Ginny forced herself to calm down before Harry would retract his statement. That would be disastrous for the both of them. She focused on what was happening in front of her instead and looked between the girls and Harry.

"That was rough. Have you been rejecting them all like this?" she asked.

Harry face flushed a deep shade of crimson. "Well, I never know what to do in these kinds of situations!"

Without missing a beat, Ginny sat up and said, "My advice? Not that."


	14. The Yule Ball

Professor McGonagall was more relieved than Harry was when he told her that he had found a dance partner for the Yule Ball. Harry couldn't blame her; he didn't think her toes could stand another round of dancing with him as her partner. Unfortunately for Ginny though, her feet were the ones in danger now.

He had been so stiff during their first practice lessons with Professor McGonagall that he barely moved from his spot on the floor. To their professor's horror and exasperation, they discovered that Ginny was almost as bad as Harry when it came to dancing. Unlike Harry though, she was eager to learn, if only as to not embarrass herself in front of the entire school. Fortunately, she had a natural gracefulness in her movements, so graceful that Harry looked like a twig standing unyieldingly next to her.

Harry had been taught by tutors since he was a child along with Lucas, but even then, he didn't dance. Pureblooded wizard upbringing (which their father suggested instead of sending them to muggle primary school) required tutoring in the arts and that included dancing. While he excelled in playing instruments, he was dreadful at dancing. Being ill and being confined to the bed for most of his childhood crushed his chances of ever learning to dance properly.

Lucas had learned how to play the guitar but that was it. He had a natural talent for dancing, surprisingly, but his attention span wasn't enough for him focus on learning other art forms that required him to sit still. Harry sorely wished he had even an ounce of his grace and talent on the dance floor. He was bad but he didn't want Ginny to be laughed at because of him too.

"Potter, it's one-two step back and twirl. Not…" Professor McGonagall gestured wildly in the air around Harry and Ginny. "…whatever that was."

Harry lowered his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Professor."

"Never mind," the stern Professor sighed heavily. "I think that's enough for today."

Harry meekly nodded his head and walked towards the chair where he had left his belongings. Ginny didn't follow him. Instead, she went to talk to Professor McGonagall about something. She was waving her arms around in the same actions as the dance they were learning and Harry realized that she was asking their teacher about her form. Harry thought she looked quite alright but apparently Professor McGonagall found some fault in it and adjusted the position of her arms.

Harry let them be and gathered his things. He also gathered Ginny's things so he could just pass it to her after she was done talking with Professor McGonagall. He then waited for them to finish discussing the dance at the sides, feeling very out of place. Suddenly, Professor McGonagall beckoned him over and Harry obediently walked to where she stood.

"Now, Potter, the ball is next week and that means we will start rehearsing with all four champions and their partners starting tomorrow. I want you and Miss Weasley here at six in the evening. Be on time, please."

Harry and Ginny both nodded and said, "Yes, professor," and then walked outside the room together. Harry looked glum and Ginny started twisting the strap her bag as she wracked her brain for something to say.

Harry eventually sighed and said, "I'll be going this way, Ginny. I need to meet up with Hermione for the… for Ancient Runes."

Ginny could see in his face that he was very troubled about the practice with the other champions tomorrow. He distractedly waved goodbye to her and trudged down the corridor before she could say anything to him. Ginny watched him leave for a while before heading back towards the dormitories.

She had received a letter from Mrs. Potter that morning, telling her that her dress would be delivered that afternoon to her bed and that they wanted her to try it on and tell them if she and her mother, Mrs. Weasley, needed to make more adjustments. Ginny personally felt that the two of them were going overboard with the whole thing.

She thought the first one they settled on was alright but then Mr. Potter insisted that Harry and Lucas should have new dress robes tailored for the occasion and Mrs. Potter's eyes practically twinkled at the prospect of having a dress made for her too, especially since Harry mailed them about her being his partner to the ball.

Just like that, their first choice of dress robes they were given before they left for Hogwarts were sent home, useless. Ginny had hoped her mother would decline Mrs. Potter's proposition but, to her dismay, Mrs. Weasley was immediately on board and the both of them spent the last three weeks on her dress.

It wasn't like she could do anything to change their minds anyway. Nothing short of her breaking off her promise to go with Harry to the ball would stop them from their passion project. Lucas joked once, while he helped Harry practice his dance moves, that they should at least look good even if they made complete fools of themselves on the dance floor.

Both she and Harry didn't appreciate the joke.

* * *

Just two days before the ball, almost every student in the Gryffindor common room had gone crazy over the Yule Ball. Boys and girls alike would walk around the common room in their ball attire, sometimes showing off, sometimes asking others for help on how to wear it. It had become such a common sight that Harry didn't even blink when Lavender Brown walked out of her dorm room wearing her dress.

He just sighed and settled down on the couch, where Lucas, Dean, and Seamus were lounging around. Lucas scooted over to give him some space to sit on and Harry gratefully slid next to him. Harry took off his school bag and placed it on his lap, grateful to be free of his heavy books. He enjoyed reading them but carrying them around was pure torture. He would have casted a featherlight charm on the bag but it wasn't his. He had borrowed it from Lucas while his was away being cleaned after his ink bottle opened up and spilled everywhere. Unfortunately, Lucas quite enjoyed lugging around a heavy bag because he liked to think of it as training weights.

"What's the count now?" Harry heard Seamus ask.

"That'd be seven, counting Helena Alderton. Look," answered Lucas. He jerked his head towards the direction of a dark-haired seventh-year showing off her dress to a blushing seventh-year boy, who they assumed was her partner.

Harry rolled his eyes. The "count" was the number of people who walked around in their Yule Ball attire. Harry thought it was rather silly that Lucas and his friends started the "count" when Dean was one of the first few who walked around the common room in his dress robes.

"How about it, Harry?" Lucas asked, wriggling his eyebrows playfully. "Fancy adding to the count?"

Harry shoved his face away. "Parade around if you want but don't drag me into it."

Lucas cackled. "Come on! Join me! I just got the final version of my dress robes. I had them change the inner fabric. Too hot, you know?"

Harry ignored him and opened up his bag to take out the book he had been reading for Arithmancy. There was a quiz coming up the day after the Yule Ball and he was determined to ace it.

Lucas, realizing that he was being ignored, stood up and said something to Dean and Seamus, who clapped and whooped at him and then he disappeared up the dormitory staircase.

The next time Harry saw him, he sashayed into the common room, wearing his full dress robes. Seamus and Dean whistled and whooped at him as he posed for them. The other students also joined in and clapped their hands at Lucas' boldness. Harry felt himself about to pass out from second-hand embarrassment.

"Well? How is it?" Lucas asked, extending his arms so they could look at his dress robes clearly. It was a handsomely tailored gray and silver tailcoat suit accented by a maroon cravat. Harry's design was similar except his was black and gold and his cravat was just a plain white. He had tried it on once, when it arrived a week ago, and didn't take it out again. He thought it looked nice but it felt a lot more extravagant compared to everyone else's usual black and white formal dress robes.

Lucas, who had a large array of dress robes, didn't say no to a new one. In fact, he was so used to the entire process that he didn't need to be fitted. He just gave his own input and that was that. Harry left decisions regarding his dress robes to his father's hands since he didn't know what to do.

"That's eight!" Seamus said loudly over the whoops and cheers.

Lucas gasped dramatically as if he was scandalized by what Seamus said. "An eight? Me? Why, Mr. Finnigan, that's an insult!"

Seamus rolled his eyes. "I meant, the count's eight now. You're a five at best, Potter."

Everyone else laughed at that and Harry tuned them out. He had no business getting involved with his brother who was very determined to parade around the room without feeling embarrassed. Lucas knew he looked good in his dress robes and he didn't hesitate to show off.

Just then, the portrait door swung open and Ron walked inside with Hermione and Ginny behind him. They joined the crowd that gathered around Lucas to see what was happening, but upon seeing that it was just Lucas, turned to Harry's location instead.

Ron's expression looked stormy when he sat next to Harry. Harry looked inquisitively at Hermione and Ginny. They both exchanged looks, as if asking the other which one should answer. Finally, Hermione leaned forward.

"He's sulking about his dress robes," she said.

Harry's eyebrows rose and looked back at Ron. Ron grumbled under his breath.

"It can't be that bad?" Harry said.

"Exactly. It's nothing to be worried over, Ronald. You'll look fine," said Hermione.

"Just you wait! I swear, I'll look like my great aunt Tessie!" Ron howled.

Ginny snorted but immediately tried to hide it as her clearing her throat. Harry raised an eyebrow at her. She mouthed " _later_ " to him. She then stood up and stood closer to Harry.

"Never mind all that, we need to go," she said.

Harry looked up at her in confusion. "Go? Go where?"

"Last dance practice before the ball. Hermione and I only walked up here to get you. She didn't want to stay down there with—"

"Yes?" Ron said, suddenly leaning forward and looking very much interested in what Ginny was about to say next. "Her partner, right? Who is it? Come on, tell me!"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at Ron. "My partner? I thought you said I was going to the ball alone? I remember it vividly, in fact."

Ron made a face at her. "Oh come off it. You refuse to tell me who you're going with so naturally a bloke's got to assume—"

"Assume that that means I'm lying?" said Hermione, crossing her arms across her chest.

Ginny sighed and nudged Harry. "C'mon, we should leave before this turns ugly."

Harry agreed with her. He didn't need another one of Ron and Hermione's fights. Ginny gestured to Hermione and she stood up to follow them out of the common room.

"Oi! Are you just going to leave then?" Ron called out after them.

"Yes." Hermione answered shortly.

"Why are you leaving with them then? It's not like you need to dance! It's not like you have a partner!"

"I'm getting away from you, Ronald Weasley! _Piss off_!"

Hermione seethed and stormed out of the portrait hole. Harry and Ginny exchanged looks and followed after her, not quite knowing how to respond after that. Harry sent Ron an apologetic look before running off to follow Ginny.

* * *

The Yule Ball, as many students had been told, was a grand affair, however, none of it showed in the loud and disorganized mess of young witches and wizards that gathered outside the Great Hall. There were loud calls for their partners and joyous shrieking from the girls that huddled together and the teachers shouting announcements on top of that.

Harry grimaced when he stepped down from the last few steps of the staircase as he joined the sea of party-goers. If it wasn't for his obligation to attend as a champion, he never would have even considered being here. He fiddled with his cufflinks and his collar as he navigated his way through the crowd, firmly planting his eyes to the ground as he did so.

"Hey! There you are!" he heard Ron's voice say.

Harry looked up and felt immensely relieved when he saw Ron with Lucas, along with their dates, Romilda Vane and Parvati Patil. There was apparently some drama involved with their partners, according to Ginny. Romilda had wanted to ask Lucas to the ball but Parvati beat her to it. Lucas overheard Parvati bragging about going to the ball with the Boy-Who-Lived to Romilda and so he suggested that Ron take Romilda Vane to the ball, since they both don't have dates anyway. Ron was desperate at that point so he agreed but Romilda, still hung up on Lucas, only agreed because she could be in close proximity to the famous Boy-Who-Lived this way.

Having been told that detail, the normally oblivious Harry could see the tension between the two girls. Romilda glared at Parvati while the latter held Lucas' arm protectively. She glowered right back. Ron wasn't paying attention. He was more worried about what he was wearing.

Harry took pity on his best friend and beckoned him over. Ron was confused but went to him nonetheless.

"I'll be right back," he whispered to Romilda. Romilda didn't give any indication that she was listening but Ron didn't really care.

"Alright, mate?" Harry asked, inspecting his dress robes.

Ron grimaced. "No! I look like a Bloody Baron reject!"

Harry stifled a laugh unsuccessfully and Ron glared at him.

"Oh, yeah, laugh it up," he muttered.

Harry rolled his eyes and tapped his dress robes with his wand a few times. He knew enough Transfiguration to pull this off and he would do anything to spare Ron some embarrassment. Fred and George had gotten their older brothers' more modern dress robes to borrow and Ginny had been given a new dress (courtesy of the joint effort of Molly Weasley and Lily Potter) specially made to match Harry's newly tailored dress robes, leaving Ron with the ancient hand-me-downs.

Almost instantly, the ruffles and frayed ends on Ron's robes turned into normal lapels and the long coat shrunk into tailcoats. In a few seconds, the hideous robe turned into something that didn't look all that different from the design of the dress robes that most of the students wore. The only difference was that it was still a dark brown color but it oddly suited Ron well.

Ron gave a disbelieving laugh and examined his new look. Harry shrugged and put his wand away.

"You look alright, I guess," Harry said.

Ron scoffed. "Alright?! Mate, you made a miracle happen! Thank you!"

He hugged Harry tightly and then immediately turned around to show off his new look to Lucas. Even Parvati, who was busy fighting with Romilda, gaped at Ron. Harry smiled to himself as he watched them and then craned his head around to find Ginny. Having no luck, he moved away from the bustle of the crowd and went back to the staircase where it was less crowded.

Professor McGonagall spotted him before he could reach his destination and she called him over. Harry obediently went over to her but not before looking around again for Ginny.

"Ah, Potter, good, good. Have you seen Miss Weasley?" Professor McGonagall asked.

Harry shook his head. "I've been looking for her too, professor."

Her eyes narrowed on a stray crease on Harry's robes and she pointed her wand at it to smooth it over. She briefly eyed his unruly hair with annoyance before sighing and deciding not to fight that battle. "When you see her, please come find me at the entrance to the Great Hall."

She walked away, shooing any students that gathered too close to the entrance. Harry went back to his original destination, which was the staircase, and waited for Ginny to come down. A few girls who were also waiting for their dates at the staircase eyed Harry and giggled. Harry blushed and avoided their gazes.

He focused instead on smoothing down his hair. Lucas didn't even bother with his unruly hair. He liked it messy like their father. Harry had also long accepted that his hair couldn't be tamed and would be content in wearing it in its natural state if it wasn't for his current predicament of having to parade into the Great Hall and dance in front of everyone. Professor McGonagall wanted everything to be perfect tonight but Harry's hair wasn't going to cooperate.

As he continued to try to fix his hair unsuccessfully, someone tapped his shoulder. Harry jumped and turned his head to address the person but he felt his words die down in his throat.

"Have you been waiting long, Harry?"

Ginny stood in front of him, looking very radiant and beautiful in her dress robes. It was white with some tasteful gold accents and a nearly transparent short cape at the back, fastened with ornate gold pins by the shoulders. The ends of her dress and the cape sparkled unnaturally like fireflies and Harry suspected that his mother may have had charmed it. Lily and Molly weren't lying when they said their outfits were meant to be a matching set. The girls that had been giggling near Harry gasped and started whispering amongst themselves.

Harry tried to speak but no words came out so he closed his mouth again. Ginny raised an eyebrow at him.

"Oh no… I look stupid, don't I?" Ginny said worriedly. Her hand went up to her hair, which she had let fall neatly to one side while the other side held an elegant gold pin that sparkled under the lights. "I told Mrs. Potter that the dress was more than enough but…"

"N-No," Harry stammered. He cleared his throat as if to dispel all the words that had gotten stuck there since Ginny's arrival. "You look great. B-Brilliant. I-I mean…"

Ginny's eyes widened and she blushed immensely. She thought her mother and Mrs. Potter had gone overboard with her Yule Ball outfit and she walked downstairs fully prepared for the jeers and horrible feedback but she got none of that. So far, she had only gotten amazed gasps and envious looks. Even Harry stumbled over his words when he saw her.

Harry took a deep breath to compose himself and held out a hand to Ginny in a way that would make his childhood etiquette instructors proud. Ginny blushed even more as she took hold of his offered hand and let herself be escorted towards the entrance where the other champions and their partners had gathered.

Professor McGonagall hurriedly beckoned them over and had them stand in line, right behind Cedric and Cho. Harry tried not to look at the couple in front of him, especially not Cho, who looked very beautiful in her dress. Harry thought she was pretty when he saw her around Hogwarts before but now, she looked breathtakingly beautiful.

"Now, the moment those doors open, you will do as we rehearsed, understood?" Professor McGonagall told the champions. They all nodded and went back to standing around and chatting with their dates.

Harry, meanwhile, felt his stomach drop when he was reminded of the dance. Ginny noticed him looking very queasy and she put a hand on his shoulder in a comforting manner.

"Hey, think of it as quidditch, yeah?" she whispered to him.

Harry knew she meant well but her suggestion sounded outlandish to him. "Thanks… but I don't think the quidditch analogy's meant for this Ginny. It's dancing."

Ginny smirked. "Harry, if you can get past a dragon by treating it like quidditch, then something as simple as a dance will be a walk in the park. Besides, how different is this from quidditch really?"

Harry didn't think he could speak with his stomach filling with dread and anxiety so he let her continue her efforts to comfort him. Cho looking back briefly to smile at him was also not helping.

"We dress up in our gear, go out in front of hundreds of spectators, and show off how hard we've been practicing. See? Just like quidditch," he heard Ginny say.

"Y-Yeah but unlike quidditch, I don't have even a smidgen of skill in dancing," said Harry, focusing on her now. He felt bad for Ginny. She could have gone with other guys who weren't pathetic like him.

Ginny looked at him and grinned. Harry was momentarily taken aback at how seriously she took her role of being his partner. Her grin showed him that she believed in him a lot. It made Harry feel worse because he couldn't do the same.

"Then that's the time when you rely on your teammates, don't you think?" she said. "This time, it's just me but you can rely on me all the same, Harry. Don't think about anything else. You know the steps. I know you do. Just focus on us when we're dancing out there. All the people, the noise, the attention, you're used to tuning it out when you play. Why should this be any different? Focus on the game, alright?"

Harry stared at her dumbly for a few seconds, still not done processing what she said. Ginny, seeing his reaction, looked embarrassed and looked away uncomfortably. Harry immediately felt bad. He wanted to allay her fears but he was still in the process of calming himself down. He slowly felt himself start to loosen up when he replayed her words inside his head. He exhaled and shook his nerves out.

She was right, of course she was right. He couldn't let his anxiety win. Not tonight. Not when Ginny was expecting to have a good night at the ball. He wouldn't dampen her night. She didn't deserve a bad Yule Ball experience.

_Tune out everything. Focus on the game. No people staring at him. No Fleur. No Viktor. No Cedric._

_No Cho…_

Harry suddenly felt the ends of his lips twitching. He couldn't stop the stupid smile that crept onto his lips. He couldn't believe it but the cheesy quidditch analogy had actually worked.

He smiled at Ginny and held out his arm for her to hold as McGonagall announced the start of the ball. Ginny hesitantly entwined her arm around his. She was still unsure if she had made a fool of herself, spouting off the Quidditch nonsense. Thankfully, Harry dispelled her worries when he whispered, "Thank you, Ginny," to her as they walked arm in arm.

* * *

"Harry, you did great!" exclaimed Lucas proudly when they finally met up after the first dance. He and Parvati were still panting but they both looked like they were having the time of their lives.

Harry grinned at his brother. "Thank you. Ginny was leading me."

He gestured to Ginny beside him, who looked as exhilarated as Lucas and Parvati. Harry thought she had been brilliant during the entire thing. She made dinner a pleasant affair because she talked very easily with Hermione, who, until then, Harry hadn't recognized. Hermione huffed irately when the lights finally flickered on inside his head and muttered something about boys to her lap afterwards.

When Ginny mentioned quidditch, it was no surprise that the other two male champions and Cho joined in. Among the people who were seated in the champions' table, it was only Hermione and Fleur who didn't play the sport. Roger Davies would have normally joined them, being the Ravenclaw quidditch captain, but he was still deeply entranced by Fleur and her Veela charm. He listened to her intently as she criticized everything about Hogwarts and agreed to everything she said, rather pathetically.

When the time came for the first dance, Ginny reminded Harry to tune everything out again. Harry initially followed her stiffly but he eased into it after Ginny whispered encouragements to him the entire time. Harry had surprised himself at how easily he recalled the steps when he wasn't worrying about everyone scrutinizing him. The first dance wasn't as bad as he had thought, not when Ginny Weasley did her best, which Harry appreciated.

The music started up again and it was livelier and more upbeat than the song before it. Parvati squealed excitedly and dragged Lucas with her to the dance floor.

"I _love_ this song! Come on!" Harry heard her shriek as she and Lucas joined the quickly thickening crowd on the dance floor.

Harry's eyes strayed to Ginny, who looked amused at all the dance moves that were displayed in front of them. Ginny felt his eyes on her and she grinned cheekily at him.

"How about it, Harry? Are you up for another dance?"

"I…"

Harry wanted to decline, but he would be lying if he said he didn't enjoy his dance with her earlier. Besides, wouldn't it make him a bad partner if he didn't dance with her?

The choice wasn't up to him in the end. Lucas, who had let loose fully, dragged him, Ginny, and sulking Ron (and his partner) to the dance floor where he and Parvati danced energetically yet gracefully around them. Ginny giggled and started dancing with them. Lucas cheered when he saw her dance and he turned to Ron and tried to get him to dance with them. Ron let himself be swung around by Lucas but his attention was somewhere else.

Harry followed his line of sight and saw Hermione at the end of it. She was having a great time with Viktor Krum. He twirled her around and laughed around with her and Harry couldn't see the reason why Ron would glare at their direction. Hermione looked like she was enjoying herself and that was enough to make Harry happy. He would have thought Ron would be more ecstatic that Viktor Krum had gone with Hermione to the ball. Ron was such a huge fan of his.

Harry suddenly felt someone tug at his hands and he turned back to his group. Ginny smiled mischievously at him as she swung his arms from side to side.

"Come on, Harry. Dance with us!" she said.

Harry gave a nervous laugh. "I don't know how."

Ginny giggled and started dancing on the spot. "Me either! Just go with it!"

Harry smiled and shrugged. He didn't worry about the scrutiny as much now, not when Viktor Krum himself had started doing silly dance moves a few feet from him. Hermione laughed out loud at his poor dance moves. Harry thought there was no reason to let himself be swallowed by his anxiety again so he let himself relax and started swaying in place to the rhythm of the music.

Ginny, Lucas, and Parvati cheered when he did that and their dancing became much more animated. Harry grinned and joined in. For once, he wasn't plagued by thoughts of his health interfering with this momentary happiness. He had been given a gift that night at the World Cup and he didn't intend to waste it.

In this moment, surrounded by his friends, dancing away without care, not caring if they looked like fools, Harry never felt more alive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm sorry for the long delay. I've been very sick these past few days and didn't feel that up to writing. There's a bit of the Yule Ball and a bit of happiness before Harry's back to his regularly scheduled misery. 
> 
> In other news, I've edited Chapter 1 and Chapter 3 and added a few new scenes. I've been thinking about having this story extend past their fourth year and I honestly didn't think about extending it past that in the beginning. I always thought it would just end at the end of their fourth year but I edited some story points so I can explore extending the story in the future if I so choose. 


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